Life's Cruelty
by amyownfie
Summary: Sequel to Death's Mercy. Maia finds herself returned to the moment Draco sent her back and nothing has changed. She can't leave the world in the ruins Riddle inherited, and with the few survivors from the Battle of Hogwarts at her side, she will stop at nothing to stop him. Death had chosen her side once already, hopefully he would do it again.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

She arrived in a cold stone corridor, gentle whispers reaching her ears as footsteps echoed from another direction. She recognised the voice and without thinking, she followed it, suddenly stopping in her tracks, her blood running cold.

"You know the prophecy. It's all over."

She remembered this day with perfect clarity, it still graced her nightmares, even as old ones faded. She didn't have long before Death Eaters would swarm the dungeon, before Draco's death. But she couldn't move. Her mind screamed to run, to do something, anything, but a strange, new part of her mind remained still and calm. It told her only one thing. She simply had to wait.

And then she was walking, flanked by a group of death eaters. Maia screamed out in her mind to stop them, but she couldn't, Death's cold voice ringing in her mind "trust me" as the calm part of her mind took control.

She saw herself locked away in a cell. She saw Draco, his wand raised, his lips finishing that all too important spell.

Maia screamed against her mind as she watched her wand arm raise, a foreign spell tumbling from her lips.

And he fell.

"Where did that spell come from?" A familiar voice yelled. "The Dark Lord wanted him alive."

"I'd be more concerned with our missing prisoner." A second, more condescending voice spoke.

Maia turned to see Lucius Malfoy pulling down his hood, walking straight toward her. When he didn't slow his pace, she stepped to the side, noting the slightly milky sheen to his face as he passed. The same sheen she remembered from the invisibility cloak.

Bellatrix Lestrange rushed up to him hissing as she did so. "The Dark lord won't be happy. The mudblood is gone and Draco is dead. He'll kill us all in their place."

"No he won't." Maia smiled, flicking her wand at the two hooded death eaters. "But I will." She smiled, lowering the hood of her cloak.

She knew it must have been a shock to see her standing there, appeared from thin air mere moments before she killed them. She knew she was different now, drastically different. She remembered showing Tom Riddle mercy, forgiving the man who killed Harry, but there was a strange part of her that seemed to think that it was the wrong choice. Perhaps it was death's magic, he had said that they couldn't remain separate forever. Maybe it changed her like Dumbledore's ritual had.

Maia rushed to Draco's side, letting her worry for him push aside the train of thought that had accompanied the dead body of his father down the hall. She pressed two fingers to his neck, a sudden urge to sob coming over her.

Her tears fell, streaming unreservedly down her cheeks. He was alive. Whatever spell she had uttered, it wasn't the killing curse she had remembered from all those years ago, because he had a heartbeat. He was breathing and with a quick renervate, he was awake.

"Maia?" He breathed, blinking wearily. "You almost look like her." He said, his voice dropping into a sad helplessness.

"I am her." Maia smiled, unable to stop crying."I know I look a little different but it's me."

"She's gone." He muttered, apparently not listening to her. "I sent her to fix things. We'll be gone too soon."

"Draco Abraxas Malfoy, I swear to Merlin if you don't start listening to me I will hex you so hard your grandchildren will feel it." Maia barked.

Draco shot up into a seated position, his eyes wide. He tentatively reached out to touch her face, rubbing his thumb across the smooth wet skin beneath. "Your eyes." He frowned, his own almost drilling into hers. "They're different. I loved your eyes."

"Believe me that wasn't the only thing that changed back then." Maia muttered, covering his hand with her own. "I'm different now." She frowned. "I mourned you and I became someone else because of it and now I'm back it's like a darkness came with me, one i didn't have then."

"What?" Draco's eyes narrowed, though he didn't look repulsed.

"I killed them." A deep heaviness suddenly overtaking her. "I taunted them and I smiled and I…" She suddenly stopped, beginning to shake as she slowly turned her gaze to the lifeless body of Lucius Malfoy. "I killed your father."

"And he killed my mother." Draco spoke, a strange stiffness om his voice. "He killed her for lying to Voldemort, for lying to protect me."

It was Maia's turn to narrow her eyes. "But he's your father." She breathed.

"Not anymore." He spoke, hastily rising to his feet, pulling Maia up with him. "We're getting out of here and then you're going to tell me what happened to you and how you got back here." He was just the way she remembered him, a light smirk on his lips.

"There's something I need to do first." Maia drank in his face like it was the first time she was seeing it. "Something important." She barely breathed out her sentence before crushing her lips against Draco's . His hands reached up and cupped her jaw as she pulled him closer by his shirt. She poured as much passion as she could into the kiss. He'd kissed her mere moments ago, but Maia had waited three long years for it.

"I think I might like the new Maia." He smiled, holding her close.

"Don't be so sure." She smirked back, apparating them away.

She hadn't realised where she had apparated them to, not properly, given they should have been torn to shreds the moment they tried to apparate into Potter Manor but instead they stood in a plant infested ruin, a large portion of the upper floor and ceiling having collapsed, leaking moonlight into what should have been a fire lit entry hall.

"Welcome home." She muttered to herself, glancing around the destroyed manor. It was spell damage, she was sure of it, she could feel the faint crackle of destructive magic that hung in the air. She briefly wondered how long it would take to repair before realising that this wasn't her home, not anymore, she didn't have any claim to it. This wasn't the same Potter Manor that had housed Severus and Regulus, they hadn't stayed up with her through her nightmares here, that wasn't a place she would see again.

She reached to her side, expecting to feel her beaded bag, only to remember she hadn't brought it with her. She glanced down in frustration only to watch it materialise out of a shadow that poured from her dress. She glanced at Draco who had both eyebrows raised at her beaded bag. She wasn't planning on keeping anything from him, but she couldn't help but feel immediately terrified that he had seen… what had he seen?

"I think we have a lot to talk about." Draco frowned, taking Maia's hand in his own.

"More than you know." She frowned back, summoning a tent from her beaded bag. She led him into what would have been the library, though quite a few books sat intact on their shelves while others lay charred on the ground along with a shattered table and ruined chairs. With a flick of her wand, most of the mess was pushed aside, leaving space for the tent to erect itself. She hadn't been sure that it would work indoors, but could only be glad that it had.

Without a word, Maia led Draco into the deceptively spacious tent. With it came a flood of memories, the most prominent being the day Severus had appeared just outside her wards and began yelling at her. She was glad that memory sat in the forefront of her mind, there were much worse memories associated with it. She led him to the long wooden table and sat him down, though she struggled to look into his eyes, fat too terrified of how she would even begin to explain. Until the thought of Regulus and Severus crossed her mind.

"If you let me into your mind, I can show you everything." She spoke, her gaze firmly on the hand held between hers. "I don't know if I can put it all into words."

"Show me." He urged, an unreadable tenderness in his eyes as he lifted her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

So she did.

He saw everything. Every minutiae, every word, every smile and every struggle and merlin did she struggle. But she didn't hold back anything, showing him every time she shared her bed with Severus and Regulus, Remus' confession, Regulus' confession. A lot of people had confessed things to her, though not all of them regarding love however. She showed him every time she had cried for him, for her past, for the people she grew to love. She showed him every death and most of all, she showed him who she became.

When she was finished, neither of them spoke as, for the first time in years, she saw Draco Malfoy cry.

"Three years." He whispered. "Three years and you haven't aged a day. Three years through hell on earth." He took a deep breath. "Three years and you never stopped loving me."

"Draco Malfoy." She smiled, gazing into his teary eyes. "I plan on loving you for a lot longer."

With a broad smile, Draco pressed his lips against Maia's, a kiss that made all of the previous ones they had shared seem tame. They left the table, barely removing themselves from each other. Their clothes lay abandoned on the floor that night. All but Maia's dress as it evaporated into shadow.

 **An- I hope you're all as excited as I am for this sequel, I have had this planned since i began Death's Mercy and I hope you all enjoy the next leg of Maia's journey.**

 **I'd love to know what you all think of this chapter.**

 **Amyx**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _"No." The professor shook his head, turning to face her. "I have reached the end of my story." He spoke, launching himself backward and out of the window._

Maia tossed and turned, muttering in her sleep.

" _That sword is meant to be in my vault at Gringotts." Bellatrix whispered, her breath brushing against Hermione's ear. "How did you get it?"_

"I didn't take anything." Maia whimpered, tears starting to fall down her face.

 _Deep jagged claw marks ripped through his limbs and chest, and face, his body severed in two. His head was twisted un naturally to the side and an arm hung off the edge of the stairs._

Draco lightly shook her shoulder as her breathing became more frantic. "Wake up. You're safe."

 _"No." Maia whined. "Draco, please." She begged._

 _"I should have let my aunt kill you."_

Her crying became more intense, her pleas to the air blurring from words into shouts and whimpers.

 _"This wouldn't have happened if you weren't here."_

"I'm sorry." She screamed. "I'm sorry."

Draco cupped Maia's cheek, holding her against him. "I'm here." He whispered. "I'm here. You're safe, I'm here."

" _I shouldn't have saved you."_

"I'm here. You're safe."

" _I never loved you."_

"You're safe. I'm here."

Maia blinked awake, whimpering and shaking in Draco's arms. He peppered kisses into her hair, rubbing lazy circles on her back with his fingertips. "I shouldn't have done that to you." He frowned.

"Don't you dare think that." Maia pulled her face away from his neck, looking up at his eyes. "Lots of terrible things happened, but good things happened too. And I wouldn't trade any of them, for anything."

Draco smiled, pressing a light kiss to her lips. "I suppose we should start planning." He sighed, glancing at the floor. "And find you some clothes." He smirked, pulling on his underwear and jeans. "I could have sworn we were already in here…" He muttered, pulling back the partition that divided the beds from the rest of the tent. And then he paused.

"What is it?" She asked, standing up from the bed.

"Your…" Draco's eyebrows knitted together when he saw Maia clad in the same dress he had taken off of her. She looked down and mirrored his confused expression. "This is gonna take some getting used to." He shook his head in disbelief, handing Maia the lone cloak he had found.

Maia left Draco to dress while she dug some food out of her beaded bag with a sigh. She hadn't missed exclusively canned food, and she certainly wasn't looking forward to any more of it. "Vegetable soup or ravioli?" She asked, brandishing the two cans with a weary smile on her face.

"They both sound so delightful." He rolled his eyes, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He frowned down at his shirt, a shirt he hadn't noticed was covered in grime. Grime that wouldn't budge despite the scourgify he cast.

Maia opened her beaded bag and pulled out the shirt she'd used as a lifeline over the years, his quidditch shirt. It still smelled like him. She tossed it at him before heading into the tent's makeshift kitchen. Soup, she'd decided, proceeding to light the stove and retrieve a pot.

"You could use a warming charm for that." Draco rolled his eyes, leaning on the tent post, as if it were the bedframe from their room.

Their room, Maia could remember so vividly the room the castle had provided them and yet it felt like a lifetime ago. Draco hadn't changed much, it had barely been ten months since they last stood in the room of requirement together, but he still looked different. Ten months was enough to change him, but she liked that he'd changed. He wasn't scared anymore, he wasn't looking over his shoulder, nor was he covering up the dark mark at every opportunity. His shirt didn't quite fit anymore. It was too small, not by much, but enough that his muscles pushed against the fabric.

"Who's still alive?" She asked, passing Draco a can, after casting a warming charm on it.

"Most of the students should be fine." Draco pursed his lips slightly, the way he always did when he was deep in thought. "I know the teachers are alive but they were captured at the same time as you."

Maia nodded, leading Draco to the table. She remembered the chaos that ensued after Harry was killed. Anyone who didn't apparate fast enough found themselves bound or hexed, or in her case, stunned and thrown in a cell. But there had to be some people who escaped that would be willing to try again. Willing to fight again.

"Most of the Weasleys made it out, but half of them were side-alonged by other Order members so a few people might be splinched." Ron had been splinched once already, she doubted that he'd enjoy going through that a second time. "I don't know if Severus survived, he was my link to the Order, the only reason they didn't immediately try to kill me over the last year."

"He died." Maia frowned, noticing the pained look that overcame him.

"If there is a group of survivors out there, I can't think of somewhere they'll go." He shook his head. "Their homes were all being watched, they were followed everywhere."

"There's one place they could go." Maia twirled her wand in her fingers, debating whether the risk would be worth it. "But I'm not sure everyone knew about it."

"Let's send a message for now." Draco suggested, eating a spoonful of soup with a frown. "We can arrange a way to regroup everyone once we have at least one person we know we can trust."

"Did Ron get away?" She asked, ignoring the slight glare Draco aimed at the table at the mention of the redhead.

"Yeah, he apparated away with his sister." He shrugged.

"Then there's at least one person that will understand my message." Maia grinned, brandishing her wand. She summoned the happiest thought she could, finding Draco alive, and cast her patronus.

.

Ron Weasley hadn't left his sister's side for two days, feeling too guilty about splinching her. He'd barely been able to focus when he saw Harry fall. He'd grabbed Ginny, stopped her from running to him and turned, barely focusing on shell cottage. They'd landed at the edge of the water, waves rocking over their knees. Ginny had screamed when the water passed over the missing part of her leg and she hadn't woken since. She was healed, mostly, but she wouldn't wake up. George had taken to sitting with him, helping his brother as much as his brother was helping him. They didn't say anything to each other, simply being together helping them heal.

A silvery mist drifted into his vision, a mist the shape of an otter. "The ferret got me out. Reply if you're somewhere safe. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

"The map." Ron muttered, his eyes going wide. He turned to his brother, disbelief in his eyes. "Hermione's alive. We still have a chance."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Draco had been rather put out that he was being referred to as 'the ferret' in Maia's messages, but he quickly got over it when he found out the reason behind Ron's codename. Teaspoon. Maia could use her own name, or rather the pet name Draco had given her, since nobody else had ever heard her being called Maia. They kept their messages brief, though there were many being sent. He didn't ask questions like 'How did you get out?' or 'Why did the ferret help you?', they were simple. Are you safe? Can you move locations? Where can we regroup? They did however end their messages with 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' and 'mischief managed' so Maia was reasonably sure that she was talking to the real Ron.

'Red riding hood' was hurt so Ron had arranged for a third party to meet with her to ask Ron's security question. Maia wasn't sure who else had survived, but she was perfectly content with trading the ruins of Potter manor for a space to pitch the tent wherever Ron had wound up.

They apparated to three different locations before finally arriving in the forest of dean, in the place they had met up last time they were separated, though Ron wouldn't actually be arriving. It was the first part of the test she supposed, did the person he was talking to understand the riddle he'd sent as the location? She had of course, but she wasn't certain the person Ron would send could find it.

"Are we sure they're coming?" Draco asked, squeezing Maia's hand.

"Any minute now." She breathed, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Hermione." A voice called out from somewhere behind them.

"Neville." She smiled. Of course he'd make it. He was by far the most sensible Gryffindor she knew, after Percy of course. His wand was drawn, something she was rather happy to see.

"Why didn't you go with Harry and Ron during your second year?" Neville asked. Draco didn't look too confident in the question. Everyone knew she had been petrified, but they didn't know about the polyjuice incident.

"Because I put cat hair in my polyjuice potion by accident." She frowned slightly. She'd been quite proud that after all the questions she'd answered about the odd Crabbe and Goyle that Draco had dealt with that year, she'd never told him that she was supposed to go with them.

And Draco found it hilarious.

"Shut it." She grumbled, swatting his arm. Neville of course was laughing too, but Maia simply pulled him into a tight hug, a large grin plastered on her face. "I'm so happy to see you."

"So am I." Neville replied, glancing up at Draco. "Even with present company." He didn't exchange any words with the Slytherin, simply nodding to the blonde. It was better than a hex Maia supposed. "We were all terrified when you didn't respond at first. We thought you'd been killed."

"Who else made it?" Maia asked, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Why don't you see for yourself." Neville smiled. "We're at Bill and Fleur's." With a nod, Neville apparated away, leaving Maia with a slight smile on her face.

"We can leave some flowers with Dobby." She sighed, taking Draco's hand and apparating them to the all too familiar beach.

"Is this where you came?" Draco asked as they walked up to the house. "After you escaped the manor?"

"Yeah." She responded, not sure if she was happy or sad in that moment.

As they neared the cottage, the door flew open and Ron sprinted out, lifting Maia off of the ground as he hugged her. "I'm so glad you're alive. After the chamber and not being able to talk and the battle I… I've been terrified."

"What happened in this chamber?" Draco asked, an eyebrow raised at the rather puppy like expression on Ron's face.

"Why do you care Malfoy?" Ron spat, his face twisting in anger. "Your side won. Why don't you run back to your father? I'm sure he'd love to hear about where we are."

"My parents are dead actually so they won't be hearing anything." Draco spoke curtly, his hands clenching into fists. "And you're welcome, by the way. I'm sure you all immediately thought of Maia before you ran."

"We can argue later." Maia rolled her eyes. "Take me to Ginny, I might be able to help."

They tracked inside, Draco and Ron glaring as they did so. Maia didn't pay much attention to the people gathered in the house as she was led up the stairs to Ginny.

She didn't look good, not at all. She was pale, sweating profusely and she was shivering, far too much for it to simply be the breeze coming through the window. And her leg didn't look much better. Mrs Weasley was wiping it down, the wound weeping an unnatural green, though there looked to be some promising muscle regrowth. Hermione would have panicked if she'd seen the sight before her, but Maia had done some reading, some very essential reading for keeping her companions alive.

"It's infected." She diagnosed, thinking out loud as she moved closer to inspect it. "Rather badly too. How long has she been like this?" She looked up at Molly, ignoring the woman's teary eyes as she babbled about being dead and alive and so happy.

"Just the last day." Molly frowned, looking over her daughter's face. "When we first treated her, it looked like a standard injury, though the splinching was rather bad. I knitted her leg back together with as many potions and spells as I knew."

"It looks like an old infection." Maia frowned, gently touching Ginny's leg. The muscle didn't quite feel right, like there was an empty space underneath. "Where did she arrive? Where exactly did she land?"

"In the water." Molly answered, apparently confused by Maia's line of thinking.

"That would explain the infection." She nodded to herself, glancing back at Ron. "You apparated her right?" She asked, not needing to hear the answer when she saw the guilt practically oozing off of him.

"He did his best." Molly defended. "He'd already started cleaning it before I knew she was injured."

"What did you use?" She asked, now slightly worried. Ron had only ever dealt with one splinching. One that he spent months recovering from.

"Essence of dittany." He shrugged. Maia sighed.

"Of course you did." She muttered. "By the looks of things her bone would have been exposed, that's the worst time to use dittany. Your injury was like a papercut compared to this."

Ron didn't say anything, simply sulking in the corner as he stared at his sister.

"This is going to take some time to deal with." She frowned, fiddling with her wand. "It's going to be hard to watch. I have to remove all of the new muscle to treat the infection." She chewed on her lip as she looked to Molly. "You don't have to watch that."

"I've lost one child already." She spoke, a tear falling down her cheek. "I'm going to do everything I can to not lose another."

"Anyone who can't help should leave." Maia spoke, flashing Draco a quick warning glare. "We'll patch her up. I promise."

 **AN- My little sister came up with teaspoon. I'm rather proud.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It took several hours to tend to Ginny's leg. The first step was a series of very careful slicing hexes to remove the malformed muscle, and then came the hard part, removing the rapidly spreading infection. It had begun to attack the bone in Ginny's lower leg, though much of the infection was easily treated by simply removing the diseased tissue. And all of this came with trying to make sure Ginny didn't bleed to death in the process. A rather unrecommended method of directly applying skele-gro to the bone, rather than having her ingest it and wait with her bone exposed for hours while it grew back. With a great deal of skele-gro and a spell she had picked up from the book on nymphs, Ginny's bone was healed in mere minutes and they could get to the long and time consuming business of regrowing and stitching together muscle, ligament, veins and skin.

By the time they were done, Molly had blood all over her hands, tears in her eyes and hope in her heart, while Maia felt a faint sadness at Ginny's recovery. She loved Ginny like a sister and would be devastated if she died, but that new, unpleasant part of her mind seemed upset that no one would be dying that day. Though with Draco and Ron in the same room, it was still a very likely possibility.

She decided to keep that to herself and head down to the boys, she couldn't guarantee that they would stay civil, especially for a whole afternoon that she had spent healing Ginny. She was rather surprised that there hadn't been an single raised voice during the hours they were alone, but once she saw Draco twirling his wand absently, reading a book he'd likely picked up from Potter Manor, while Ron soundlessly yelled and scowled at him, all had begin to make sense.

"Is that really necessary?" Maia drawled, crossing her arms. It briefly crossed her mind that she must have picked up some mannerisms after living with him, but was overtaken by the highly amused look on Draco's face.

"That wasn't my spell." Draco smiled innocently. "I just won't use the counter charm."

"Because Neville would use a silencing charm on Ron." She rolled her eyes, eyeing the chuckling boy in the corner, obviously trying to suppress his laughter as he tended to a small plant box on the windowsill.

"I did actually." A tall, earless ginger boy smiled. Maia felt her heart drop. She couldn't remember his name. She knew he had a twin, she knew he lost his ear pretending to be Harry, but she couldn't remember his name. She didn't grin like Neville, or chuckle like Draco, she felt the blood run from her face when she saw him. "Bit weird isn't it." He frowned, getting teary eyed. "Seeing me without Fred." Even hearing that name didn't spark her memory.

Draco glanced at her as he laughed, only to double take when he saw how pale she was. He was immediately at her side, pulling her against his chest. "Don't overthink it." He urged. "It's been years since you've seen him, you're allowed to be a little forgetful." He kept his voice quiet, so the others couldn't hear.

Ron seemed very upset, seeing Draco hold Maia like he was, but given he couldn't speak, he had to resort to flapping his arms around. The tall one flicked his wand at Ron, allowing his protests to fill their ears.

"What the hell are you doing with Malfoy?" Ron screamed. "It's Malfoy. It was weird enough seeing you bring him here but…" Ron seemed to go pale too. "In the chamber… you said you were in love with someone else… It was him?"

"Yes, Ron." Maia spoke wearily, simply leaning into Draco's embrace. "It was Draco."

"After everything he did to you?" Ron took a step back, repulsed almost.

"He's done nothing more to hurt me than you have." Maia rolled her eyes. "After our third year, he never said a word to me, nothing bad at least."

"Actually that's not true." Draco reminded her. "I did grumble about your bushy hair and how it tickling my face was beyond annoying."

"You're not helping." She glared up at him, stepping out of Draco's arms.

"But… of all people," Ron whined. "Why him?"

"I saw him in Myrtle's bathroom at the beginning of sixth year." She confessed, ignoring the huff of protest from Draco. "He was telling her about his mother, about taking the mark, and he was crying. It changed something, I still don't know what, but it did. I couldn't hate him any more. He had no more choice in joining Riddle than Harry had fighting against him."

"You barely remember our first year, don't you?" He accused. "You don't remember being called a mud- that terrible word. You don't remember crying because he'd been attacking you for years."

"I don't remember much, no." Maia shrugged. "Though after everything I'm amazed I remembered so many faces, let alone events."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron demanded. "I assumed your eyes and your hair are different because you're in disguise. Are you even Hermione Granger?" He narrowed his eyes, pulling out his wand.

"In some ways, I am." She shrugged. "Ask me any question you like and I can answer it, but I've been gone for more than a few days Ronald. It's been years since I've seen you, I've already faced Riddle and won, I finished my N.E. . And I learned a very important lesson that Harry never did learn properly, that we can't stop him on our own. I had help, even when I defeated Tom Riddle, I had help. And now I'm back and nothing changed, so I have to do it again, and I will do it with or without you."

Ron's mouth was open, Neville seemed mildly curious, while the tall one looked like he was on the verge of tears. She wasn't surprised that they were shocked, though showing it in different ways. She wasn't planning on keeping her time in the past a secret, she knew she had to use everything she could possibly remember this time around to stop Riddle. She just wasn't planning on yelling it at Ron like she was in her fourth year again.

"I am sorry." Maia frowned, feeling tears sting at her eyes. "That things didn't change here. I thought it would, but apparently that's not how it works."

"How did you do it?" Neville asked, his head tilted to the side.

"I had a lot of help." Maia smiled. "Dumbledore helped me find the Horcruxes, and then McGonagall helped with the planning. And I had Harry's parents and their friends helping me. But in the end, I stood face to face with Riddle and I didn't kill him. I invaded his mind and saw how terrible his life had been and what it turned him into. I can't shake the feeling that if someone had said anything to him that he wouldn't have become so dark, so evil. I understood why he started his crusade and I forgave him, and then he died. Death had been so intertwined with the two of us that he had to make a choice, me or Riddle, and he chose me. He killed Riddle, and that was the end of the war."

"That sounds a little far fetched Hermione." Ron snorted.

"I sent her back." Draco muttered, barely loud enough for them to hear. "Professor Snape has me learn a spell that would send someone back in time, he was planning this far before the battle started. He told me to make sure that if Voldemort won, Maia would go back in time to change things."

"But that didn't happen." Ron spoke, his tone harsh.

"Nobody can change time, no matter how far back you go." Maia explained. "I went back and created a whole new timeline, a new universe that diverges from ours at the exact moment I appeared in that time. There is a world out there where we won. Where none of us had to fight."

"A world where Harry lived." Neville finished.

"A world where he was never the chosen one. Where he gets to be a normal kid, with two great parents, and enough family that he could never feel alone." Maia smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek. "We didn't get a good hand. We didn't get lucky and win the war. But we still can."

"But the prophecy…" Ron protested, barely able to start his sentence.

"The prophecy only exists because Riddle and Dumbledore chose to fulfill it." Maia frowned. "We saw the prophecy room in the Department of Mysteries, there were hundreds of thousands of Prophecies on those shelves, and I guarantee most of them never came true."

"Then I choose not to believe it." Neville nodded, the other ginger stepping behind to place a hand on his shoulder.

"You aren't Hermione." Ron whimpered, shaking his head.

"Do you really think I would have given up?" Maia was angry, very angry. "Do you think I would have let Harry die for nothing?" She spat. "While you ran away, sat around licking your wounds, did you decide that everything was over, that there was no way we could fight back, that we shouldn't?"

"We're fighting back." The small voice of Molly Weasley spoke from the top of the stairs, her jaw was set and her tears were wiped away. "That boy was every bit my son that you are Ronald Weasley, every bit my son that Fred was. I will not rest until they are avenged."

"It's not revenge." Draco shook his head, a faint smile on his lips. "It's justice."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Despite Ron's protests that Draco be allowed anywhere near the Order, he and Maia were staying in their tent, having pitched it behind the house in an attempt to block some of the wind that blew in from the ocean. Whenever they would regroup to plan, it would be in the tent. Part of the reason was that Ron was being stubborn, but it was because they didn't want to risk disturbing Ginny, though she was yet to wake.

It turned out quite a few Order members had managed to escape, one of which being Professor McGonagall, though most of the survivors were surprised to see she had made it out. There were a lot of faces Maia didn't recognise, and a lot of missing names that should have gone with them. The tall Weasley turned out to be George, though he wasn't too put out reintroducing himself, though several people were. To a lot of surprise, the old Order members who'd made it through both wars were the ones she recognised, instead of the faces of confused classmates who wondered what on earth happened to Hermione Granger.

Just to be safe, Maia kept a list of names tucked away in her beaded bag, one that she would compare with the list she would write every night of the people she remembered. At first there weren't many.

Draco Malfoy

Ronald Weasley

Neville Longbottom

Minerva McGonagall

Ginny Weasley

Molly Weasley

Kingsley Shacklebolt

Hestia Jones

But then the list began to include her classmates.

Cho Chang

Luna Lovegood

Padma Patil

Seamus Finnigan

Dean Thomas

Charlie Weasley

Bill Weasley

Fleur Delacour

Angelina Johnson

Katie Bell

But right at the end of the list, every night without fail, there were six names.

Lily Evans

James Potter

Sirius Black

Remus Lupin

Regulus Black

Severus Snape

At first, Draco had been reluctant to ask, but after several nights of looking over her shoulder and making odd noises, she explained why they were there. Their symbols lay dormant and grey in her skin, though if she focused hard enough one of them would sometimes begin to glow and she was scared that one day she wouldn't remember why those symbols were with her, why if she focused enough, some of them would glow. He didn't laugh or say something condescending like she was scared he would, like Severus would have, he simply took her wrist, kissed it and began writing the names with her.

Maia held nightly meetings with whoever was in shell cottage that day, part of her wanting to have an accurate list of the missing, captured or presumed dead, part of her wanting to keep an accurate list of the living, but the biggest part of her needing something active to do. She knew there was nothing they could do until they had an idea of what Riddle's movements were and what he was planning to do now that he had achieved victory. Though if Maia had anything to say about it his victory would be short lived.

There weren't many consistent attendees at the meetings, usually just Neville, Kingsley, herself, Draco and Luna Lovegood. Most of the others would come if they thought they had a lead or even if they simply had another name for either list. Neville would attend because he felt like he should represent the students, given he had been their unofficial leader for almost a year. Kingsley attended because he was their best way to keep tabs on people, especially those too injured to move to the now hospital that was shell cottage. Draco would attend to keep Maia sane, but Luna… Luna seemed to have a fixation with staring at her, quirking her head to the side and saying nothing to explain why.

"The muggleborn students are all safe, though I don't want to keep them in one place for more than a few months at a time. If we can find a way to stay hidden in a permanent location, it will make organising a lot easier." Neville reported, glancing around the gathered resistance. "We're still working on the tunnels but it's still going to take some time before they're carved out."

"We need a solid number to work with." Draco spoke, raising his hands hopelessly into the air. "If we only have room for thirty and it turns out we need space for three hundred there are going to be major problems."

"You're assuming that most people will want to fight again." Kingsley pointed out. "There were barely twenty Order members during the Battle of Hogwarts. Our numbers were only so high because we had the teachers and overage students fighting with us. If that battle had taken place at the ministry we'd have barely lasted an hour."

"You're underestimating yourself." Maia smiled to Kingsley. "If your timeline is close enough to the one I experienced, you could have used fiendfyre to deal with the majority of attackers during the battle."

"That would have risked too many of us." Kingsley shook his head.

"That wasn't my point." Maia shook her head, her smile still planted on her face. "My point is that we have been showing restraint, that a lot of people didn't want to pick a side because before now, they didn't have to. It wasn't an all out war for the wizarding world. It was Dumbledore verus Riddle and nobody wanted to be collateral damage. This time there isn't that choice. It's fight Riddle or let him win and given time, I think most of the wizarding world will be wanting to kill him."

"We don't have the months or years to wait for that to happen." McGonagall spoke, who usually remained silent during the few meetings she was able to attend. "The longer we hide, the more places they'll search and they will find us. We need to be as smart and as fast as we can. Voldemort could have been killed a long time ago if it weren't for Albus' fixation with that prophecy. He could have easily the war himself and saved us all of this bloodshed."

"I promise you Professor, the death count is just as high in that alternative." Maia frowned. "Only there were more students killed on the battlefield than this time. We were lucky that they got out in time, we were lucky that the passageway in the room of requirement even existed. The war may not end as quickly as you might have liked, but the number of children lost in this war will be incredibly small, I'll make certain of it."

"Don't keep promises you can't keep Miss Granger." The professor warned.

"Then it's a good job I'm not Hermione Granger anymore." Maia shot back, her face still calm.

"And we're getting nowhere with this argument." Draco butted in, placing a hand on the small of Maia's back.

"I think we should call it a night." Maia decided. "Kingsley, keep reaching out to people and don't be wary of using memory charms, they will be our greatest ally for the next few months. Professor, keep watching over the castle, someone is going to go back there and we need to know when they do and what for. The rest of us will keep working on those tunnels. They'll be ready in time Neville."

Slowly, the tent emptied and Maia was left with a worried Draco at her side and a staring Luna across from her.

"You've been staring for weeks." Maia finally broke. "What has you so worked up?"

"I'm just confused." Luna spoke dreamily. "Your magic was a lot smaller before, but now there's something else there, something more. I can't decide if it's good or bad yet."

"I think you're imagining things Luna." Draco laughed uncomfortably, suddenly very worried about Maia.

"No, there's more magic in her and it's binding." Luna squinted at Maia. "Did one of those people you made a vow with give you their magic."

"No." Maia shook her head, suddenly very interested to know if Luna was right.

"You know most of the things she talks about don't make sense right." Draco tried to reassure her, though he sounded like he was trying to convince himself at the same time.

"I think those creatures she supposedly imagines might be real. In a way." Maia spoke, thinking back to the few times she remembered Luna talking about Wrackspurts and Nargles. "They just might not be magical creatures."

"And what about you?" Draco asked, rubbing his thumb across her back. "What about this potentially bad magic she's talking about."

"It might be death." Maia shrugged. "The spell you used tied me to him so that I could go back without dying. Maybe that's what she's seeing."

"Maybe." Draco murmured, pressing a kiss to Maia's temple.

"I need to go check on Ginny." She sighed. "She should be awake by now." Maia chewed on her lip as she went, thinking through every possible explanation as to why Ginny was still unconscious in Bill and Fleur's spare room.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN- So it turns out that I forgot to add any characters in the description. Well done me. I fixed it now.**

Chapter 6

"Hey Ginny." Maia sighed as she walked to her bedside. She still hadn't worked out why she wasn't waking up, even with her leg healed, rather well in Maia's opinion. "It's been three weeks since the battle and we still haven't found where they took Percy or your father. Charlie's been sneaking around the ministry, checking the hall of records to be sure they're still alive."

She waved her wand over Ginny, making sure her joints wouldn't begin to freeze up, cleaning her skin and the clothes she was wearing. "They're alive somewhere, and we'll find them. I promise." She patted Ginny's shoulder, taking a seat next to the bed.

Maia had some theories as to why Ginny was unconscious, though none of them seemed to be right. At first she'd thought it was due to the infection, then the loss of blood from the splinch, then maybe some form of residual spell damage or a nasty stunner that mixed with another spell poorly, but none that was the case. Ginny was simply sleeping, her thoughts drifting between Harry and her family. It was both reassuring and worrying to Maia. On the one hand, Ginny's mind was awake, which meant that it wasn't a stunning spell, but on the other, Ginny might believe that the world she was dreaming about was real, and most likely already did.

She briefly entertained the idea of placing herself in Ginny's dream, to see if she could convince her to wake up, but Molly had immediately told her not to. Ginny wasn't an occlumens and after her time with Riddle's diary, they couldn't be sure that Maia wouldn't cause any damage, or rather more than they suspected she had.

"We need you to wake up." She frowned, placing her hand on top of Ginny's. "I don't know for what yet, but I know we still need you."

"I was half convinced you didn't care." Ron spoke from the doorway. "You'd barely thought about us in years, I thought you might not feel the same."

"Of course I thought about you." She smiled fondly at him. "Part of me always wanted to come back, no matter how bad it was, just so that I would know what happened to you. To all of you."

"And now you know?" Ron prompted, sitting down next to Maia.

She sighed, gazing back at Ginny's face. "It's not as bad as I imagined. I thought Riddle was going to mass execute everyone they caught, but he's kept them alive. For what I don't know, I just know it won't be good."

"But it's better than the alternative." Ron sighed.

"How's your mum doing?" Maia asked, carefully studying Ron's expression.

"I'm not too sure." Ron shrugged. "Some days she's like I remember when I was a kid but other days she sits up here crying."

"She sounds like she'll be fine." Maia nodded. "She won't be for a long time, but eventually, she will."

"Speaking from experience?" Ron smirked, his eyes not leaving his sister's sleeping form.

"A lot of experience." She muttered back, standing from the chair. "You should talk to her, maybe one of us will make it through to her." And she left, glancing back at the two before heading down to the basement.

There was a handful of people down there, expanding the basement into long passageways and empty rooms, though the walls were all made of dirt. The basement hadn't existed when she and Draco first arrived at shell cottage, but so far, they had made decent progress, especially because there were only five people working on the tunnels. Neville helped when he wasn't keeping an eye on the students, though he was starting to feel like he wasn't needed there given Kingsley spent most of his time with them and several other order members. Draco spent most of his day carving the tunnels, though he did spend a lot of time adjusting the rooms as more people promised to join them. George worked away silently with Bill, both of whom simply did as Draco instructed when it came to where to carve and how much to remove. And then there was Maia, who as far as everyone was concerned would disappear into the dirt and reemerge hours later. She was in fact working on a series of passages that they could use to escape, or smuggle people inside should the death eaters investigate the house. It was unlikely, given the host of wards they had put up, but it wasn't impossible.

Muttering "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" Maia slipped through her false wall while everyone was distracted and journeyed down the long tunnel she had been working on. So far it took forty minutes to reach the end, though once she was finished she could enchant it to take mere seconds to reach the exit. The process had been slow going for the first week before Maia found Dumbledore's wand was still in her beaded bag. She found it amusing that she'd been the owner of the elder wand for years and had left it forgotten that entire time. Once she started using the wand on the tunnels, she began to understand the appeal of the wand. It no longer took minutes to carve an inch further, it took seconds. She'd known it was a powerful wand, but she struggled to imagine anyone ever defeating such a wand, especially one that seemed to have a mind of its own. So she limited her use of it to working on the tunnels, knowing it would become harder and harder to stop using it as time passed. She'd entertained the idea of sneaking into the basement at night to help speed up the slow progress the boys were making, something she was sure wouldn't go unnoticed.

So Maia simply continued to carve her tunnel, trying not to think too long while she did so. Thinking never did end well for her.

"Where do you keep sneaking off to?" Neville questioned her mere moments after she stepped back through the wall.

"Don't worry about it." She smiled, tucking her wand back into its holster on her wrist. "Just a backup plan."

"Recent events considered, I think I'll worry a little." Neville smiled back, not commenting on her sudden reappearance with any of the others. At least, not when she was around.

.

Neville chewed on his lip as he sat in the kitchen with Draco and Ron, a pair he wasn't confident would be able to talk without wands being drawn. They'd all been sitting in silence, sipping on the tea Neville had brewed several minutes ago. They'd all been glancing at each other, though keeping their eyes mostly concentrated on their cups. "Hermione's been disappearing, no longer than a couple of hours at a time, but there is definitely something going on. I'm worried."

"I think we all are." Draco nodded, having noticed Ron's expression as Neville talked. "But I don't think it's for the same reason."

"She's different." Ron frowned, having never taken his eyes from his tea. "She won't tell us anything about when she was away and she tells us to trust her. I do trust her, that's not the problem, it's that she's keeping things from us. Details that she won't share. She helped Sirius' brother get the locket, but how? He found out that she was from the future but how?"

"She's keeping those details to herself because she needs to." Draco explained. "She spent so long in a foreign time, where anyone who found out could turn her in, even after she'd ended the war back then. Maia had to hide from everyone, Voldemort, the ministry, the order. She's sharing what she can."

"See I didn't know that." Ron looked up, his eyes drilling into Draco's. "How do you know that and we don't?"

"Because she showed me." Draco shrugged. "She's your best friend, yes, but I am a lot more than a friend. If you were going to share something that personal with someone, would you trust a friend, or would you trust someone that means more to you than life itself."

"I think your ego's showing." Neville smiled, rolling his eyes at the pair.

"No he's not." Ron frowned. "She was gone for years, and she still loves him."

"We should probably leave that conversation for another time." Neville shot Ron a rather pointed look and turned to Draco. "What's got you worried?"

"Something happened." Draco started. "Something I won't share, but she's worried about it too. We're both worried, she's just very good at hiding it."

"Descriptive." Ron muttered. "I think I preferred it when we didn't talk."

"We need to help her." Neville spoke, suddenly shaking his head, his shoulders sagging. "How do we help her?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The boys had been hovering around Maia for days and it was starting to drive her crazy. Draco she could handle, all it took was a late night conversation and batting her eyelashes. But that wouldn't work for Neville and Ron. She still had work to do on her tunnel and she couldn't do any of it with the pair watching her every move. She reluctantly helped with expanding the basement, though she wasn't too happy that they had stalled work on her escape plan, even if they didn't know it.

The sound of commotion echoed down into the basement, shouts and rushed footsteps alarming those working below. Maia was the first to sprint up to find out what was happening, followed closely by Neville and Draco.

And Maia's heart stopped, something she briefly worried would become a regular occurance. Stood before them, with a dozen wands pointed at him, was Severus Snape. He looked far better than Maia had assumed, given that she'd thought him dead.

"I see our plan failed." Snape drawled as he laid eyes on Maia.

"No it worked." She spoke in return, hesitantly walking toward the man. She knew far more about Severus Snape thanks to his so called 'failed plan' but he wouldn't be her Severus, that was impossible. "You just didn't know what would happen when I changed things."

Snape raised an eyebrow, an incredulous look on his face.

"She defeated him. I saw her memories." Draco added, sticking to Maia's side for the moment. After all, what was one to do when your godfather came back from the dead.

"Then perhaps we should have considered another alternative." Snape frowned, crossing his arms. He glanced around the people that were still holding him at wand point, noting that they all seemed a little confused, though no longer frightened of him.

"Lower your wands." Maia ordered, and after one moment, they all did. "Severus is on our side."

Snape raised his eyebrows again, as if challenging Maia to call him by his given name again.

"And he has a lot of catching up to do." Draco smiled, desperately resisting the urge to hug his mentor. The mentor that had been more of a father to him than his own had.

With an amused smile and a nod, he let Draco lead him out of the cottage toward the tent that had become their temporary headquarters.

"I can't believe he survived and Harry didn't." Someone muttered. Maia didn't pay attention to who it was.

"Yes it's sad." She spoke to the group. "But Severus Snape has devoted his life to the Order, even during the years we thought Voldemort was gone. And the fact that he came back says a lot about him. He could have run. He could have disappeared and turned his back on this war but he hasn't, and we're going to make certain that the sacrifices he made mean something. Just like we're going to make Harry's death mean something."

And Maia left, walking as far from the house as she could, pacing along the beach as she began hyperventilating, far too torn by the situation. Severus was alive, a different Severus, one that wasn't hers, and he was still giving up his life for Dumbledore. And the joy she felt when she saw him, the overwhelming happiness, it wasn't hers to feel and that was possibly the hardest part about the situation. She didn't want Severus to be in danger, but she couldn't stop him. Because she didn't know him, not the version that was a father to Draco.

"Miss Granger." His voice drawled, pulling her from her whirlwind of thoughts. "I believe you have some answers for me."

"Most likely." She nodded, desperately trying to resist launching herself into his arms.

"A rather strange mark has set itself into my skin, one that Mr Malfoy tells me you would recognise." He offered his arm, showing her the grey phoenix and surprisingly a fox that rested there, and the accompanying white symbols. Maia's heart pounded, seeing the presence of the unbreakable vow in his skin. She barely registered the clear change in it, her mind racing with the mere idea that this had found its way into the potion master's skin. But the Severus here never took the vow, so how was the evidence there, plain as day. "I have something to confess to you Miss Granger." He smiled slightly, an eerily familiar smile. "I have spent almost twenty years finding a way to cross into your world, and I'm rather pleased to say that I succeeded."

"So you're…" she breathed, focussing intently on his face. "You're my Severus."

"And I've missed you terribly Maia." He beamed, sweeping her into his arms, a hearty laugh ringing through the air.

"You crazy, stupid man." She beamed, holding him as tightly as she could. "Why would you risk that?" She screamed, pulling away and slapping his arm. "You could have died trying to come here. You could have been home and happy and you had to go and do something completely un-Severus-like."

"My best friend went missing for twenty years what else was I supposed to do?" He shrugged, as if crossing the boundaries of worlds was something one did every day.

"You were supposed to move on." She frowned, her scowl softening into a sad smile. "You were supposed to live a long happy life."

"I was living, rather happily, for a while." He frowned. "But Sirius decided to do something stupid and Regulus managed to convince him that he could help. I knew we needed you but we couldn't just bring you back for some tea and a chat."

"What did he do?" She asked, rather worried about what Sirius had plotted. He was a very smart wizard, which meant he could do some very dangerous and potentially catastrophic things.

"He wanted to trade his soul for Remus'." Severus explained, he seemed rather put out by that fact. "But when Regulus found out he decided to help. They researched for a while and after I found out, it was too late. Regulus made Slytherin rather proud with the deception it took to take Sirius' place in the ritual. Regulus gave his soul to death and in return he gave back Remus. I was expecting some rather hideous foul play on death's part but after a few months, we knew Remus had been brought back without any of Death's usual caveats. It was rather surprising for a while, until I managed to find something rather Maia-like in his restoration. I wanted to find you, to ask why the hell you let them do that, until I managed to find you here. I spent the next sixteen years working on a spell to get me to your world, though it would have taken a lot less time if I hadn't been stuck teaching some rather useless students."

"I still don't see why you would even attempt something like that." Maia admonished, crossing her arms. "Sixteen years Severus, surely you could have been satisfied with the knowledge that I didn't have anything to do with Sirius' stupid plan."

"That's not why I came." Severus took a deep breath. "McGonagall, against her better judgement, hired one Sybil Trelawney as a Divination professor and she has had far much more luck with the subject that the professor you knew. She told me that I had to come and find you, that I had to help you along some journey. It didn't have to be me, I will admit, but after speaking with everyone, I knew it had to be me, no matter how much they tried to claim that they had to be the one to leave. James and Lily both needed to stay for Harry, but their son was far too eager to come."

"And you couldn't let him." Maia nodded, glancing down at her arm to see the moon was greyed despite what Severus had told her. His own arm held the evidence that Remus was alive and hers didn't, She was rather upset by the notion that the time they had spent without her had somehow excluded her from the vow's effect. "I think I need to get somewhere more private before I start crying." She spoke, her voice trembling slightly.

They went to the tent, where Draco sat with a rather defeated expression. She hadn't thought about what this would do to him, she was all too certain that this Severus was his, and the knowledge that he wasn't must have hurt him. This Severus only knew of Draco through her memories, not through the fact that he'd helped raise the boy into the man that stood strong beside her.

"I knew something was wrong." He whispered. "He didn't look at me the same."

"I'm sorry." She whispered back, holding him against her chest.

"It's okay." He spoke, though he still sounded rather somber. "I know him just as well as you do. I'm glad he's alive."

"I hadn't pegged you for the type to try legilimency on her." Severus' eyebrows knitted together and he seemed rather apprehensive.

"He didn't." She smiled. "I showed him."

Severus nodded. "I'll give you some time before I try to tell you anything else. You both seem like you could use it."

Maia smiled to Severus in thanks and the man turned to leave the tent. "Don't tell them who you really are." She warned him. "I think it might go over a little better if I do the explaining."

And so the left them with a smile and a nod, the pair struggling through the sudden rushes of grief and joy they experienced. Maia held Draco and Draco held Maia, taking and receiving the comfort they both desperately needed.

It was going to be a long road to the end of the war. They could feel it.

 **An- I wasn't going to do that originally, but there were just some things I needed to explain, especially about what everyone had done after Maia left. I'll probably slap myself for it later when I realise it's messed something else up but it's done now and I'll just have to deal with it.**

 **I'd love to know what you think about this rather major and sudden plot twist.**

 **Amyx**


	8. Chapter 8

**In response to justme's guest review:**

 **No, Maia Germain is not a self insert, she is Hermione Granger, who having different experiences to the Hermione we read and loved in the books is a rather different character on the surface. But I hope that I have kept the spirit of Hermione in the character and that she is just that. Hermione. Though with a different name. I have written a self insert before and I have to say the only thing I think I share with Hermione is my stubbornness. George Wesley has always been my HP crush so I'm not even writing it to fulfill some weird fantasy with Draco. I am writing this story because I have always thought that Ron and Hermione were far too prone to arguments to have the ending they do in HP cannon. I think Draco or Harry or even Charlie Weasley would be far better for her and that is why I write these stories, to explore the possibilities that come with having written such an amazing character (Thank you JK).**

 **So in summary, Maia is Hermione, not a self insert and I hope that she still holds the soul of the brightest witch of her age.**

 **Sorry to dump that at the beginning but it made me laugh hysterically when I read the review and at the same time made me a little annoyed that someone thought that because it means I haven't been writing this story as well as I had thought.**

Chapter 8

Severus Snape had been struggling to mourn for his friend. On the one hand he admired Regulus for his exceptional trickery and was proud that he had done what he set out to do, especially because it had made his brother happy. But he was also angry at him for even thinking of doing such a foolish thing, not to mention the pain it caused him to see that not only had he traded his life for Remus, but had brought him back without lycanthropy. It was hard to move on and accept that Regulus had done what he always did, whatever the hell he wanted.

Sirius was in a similar situation and he had the evidence of his brother's sacrifice in the deepest most treasured part of his heart. He did not envy Sirius, nor had he ever, but this time, he was particularly glad to not be him.

Lily had done what she always did, been the voice of reason, and she sounded startlingly like Maia after the birth of Harry Romulus Potter.

"Regulus didn't trade his life for you to dance around Remus like it was his fault. He gave you something you were willing to die for, something he didn't want to see happen. He died giving you possibly the greatest gift you'll ever receive so you are going to love that man as fiercely and as wholly as you always have. Because if you don't you'll may as well spit on your brother's grave."

That had put a firm stop to the struggle that Sirius had been dealing with.

Everyone had managed to mourn for their lost brother and when they felt it appropriate they celebrated Remus' return and his lack of wolfish tendencies in the only way a group like them knew how. They taught him to become an animagus. It was never something Remus could do, given his disease and now that he had the opportunity they were going to make certain that he took it. Remus was no longer turned into a werewolf but a dog not unlike Sirius, but his fur was lighter and he was surprisingly even larger than Padfoot. They still called him Moony, because being a werewolf and giving him that name had been something they did to prove they were brothers and they weren't going to disregard the name so easily. Besides, Sirius managed to say it in a way that sounded like he was practically orgasming over it, though many of their friends hated hearing him do it.

But Severus, the ever sensible and cynical, did not move on from Regulus' loss so easily. They had become closer than ever after Maia had disappeared, though they all had an idea of where she went, and he couldn't let Regulus her away with what he'd done without a proper scalding from Maia, even if he couldn't hear it.

But as the months went by, he couldn't ignore the rather familiar touch to Remus' restoration that simply screamed that Maia had a hand in it, something he wasn't too pleased about. It frustrated him to no end that she had simply allowed Regulus to do such a thing, especially when she could have rejected the offer. He knew she loved Regulus and Remus dearly and he had been certain that she wouldn't simply allow either of them do do something like that, no matter her fondness for the soul they wanted back.

But he managed to find some rather concrete proof that Maia was simply in another world, or more specifically the world she had left the first time. He had been surprised to find that the vow, while faint and mostly dormant now, could be used as his a compass of sorts and he was more than displeased that someone had mimicked her, even if that someone was Death.

So he began plotting, finding a way to reach her across the void between worlds, which he really couldn't be certain was a void, for all he knew there might be something tangible between himself and Maia, whatever that something was. But he didn't let his work suffer, no matter how tempting it was to simply fail every dim witted student he had the misfortune to teach, he knew she would kill him for t if he ever did manage to reach her world.

Years passed and Harry's first year at Hogwarts came before that could happen, and the boy seemed to have a knack for finding out about things he really shouldn't know. Like the fact that Maia was from a different timeline even though they were certain nobody would have divulged the information. But it seemed that every year that Harry spent in the school, the more he seemed to know about his friend from the future and the world she came from. It wasn't only him that had this knowledge, but two of his friends that he began to suspect were pulled together by Harry upon his knowledge of Maia, as their names were Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. So by the time that Sybil had made her prophecy, the trio had managed to gather as much knowledge about Maia as they all had, with the exception of Severus of course.

"Across time the worlds will bleed,

A man dead and living filled with hunger will rip it apart if found too late,

Another place, both here and there,

Where Mercy holds the key to defeat,

Should the journey be made,

Not out of desperation but need."

It was not the first cryptic puzzle he'd decoded, and they were rather certain that someone had to find a way to get to Maia. Hermione has volunteered though she was shot down immediately. As intelligent as she was, she couldn't exist in the same world as her other self. It wasn't a firm law that had been documented, but they also knew that it would be a bad idea for another Hermione Granger to be walking around, even if she called herself Maia now.

That logic meant that neither Ron nor McGonagall could go either. Harry couldn't go because he was supposed to be dead in that world and having him show up would only cause more problems, even though Harry felt some responsibility to take up the mantle of another world's Harry James Potter. Lily and James wouldn't leave their son, nor their other children, Willow Maia and Albus Evan.

So that left Sirius, Remus and Severus. They had argued for days that they could all go, or at least Sirius and Remus could, given that they weren't teachers. But in the end, Severus became the clear candidate to leave. Sirius Black had been a rather scandalous name in her world and Remus Lupin, who despite being dead, had been married to a wife that died fighting at his side and had a son with her. He wanted to go, rather desperately, as if he needed to pay back the loss of Regulus, but in the end they had silenced him. The only person with no other self, no ties in that world nor any notoriety or fame that would lead to them aggravating what was most likely a much harsher war.

So Severus continued his research, with the help of their circle of friends, and eventually found himself ready to leave his world behind. They knew it would damage the timeline for him to go, and his return could cause an irreparable tear in their world that could bring about its removal from existence.

He extracted a promise from Remus to teach in his place and said his goodbyes. Goodbyes that left him rather teary eyed.

With an incantation and a flick of his wand, he found himself being pulled from his world and into another, which was a rather unpleasant feeling. He had already known that the journey would be uncomfortable, thanks to Maia's memories, but he had a newfound appreciation for her ruefully short presence in their lives.

He had spent several weeks after arriving searching for Maia, though he had some ideas of where to start. The Forest of Dean had been his first stop, but the only evidence she had been there was the tingle of her magic, too faint to have been a temporary camp. It was most likely a very brief visit, one that had occurred no more than a month or two ago. He had also gone to Potter Manor, where he knew she had stayed for some time, how much time he wasn't sure, but he knew she hadn't been back since her stop in the forest.

He'd managed to track her down using the unbreakable vow they'd made and the magic woven into it. She was somewhere unplottable, but that didn't stop him from being able to apparate to her, the vow being the only plausible reason he could.

He arrived looking upon a familiar cottage, one he'd seen in Maia's memories, and his reunion had been less than perfect. He did what he had always planned, posed as the Severus Snape from this world until it was safe to reveal otherwise. He'd been happy to see her, though she hadn't aged a day since they'd last been together all those years ago at Lily and James' wedding. Her skin was no longer green, though her hair was all too familiar and easy to pick out. She looked more like the Hermione Granger he'd spent the last six years teaching, which only cemented his knowledge that he had found her and not some other Hermione in another world.

But he had so much to share with her, so many years of memories that she hadn't been a part of. Part of him was happy that she hadn't, she would have mourned for Regulus the hardest, and most likely would have hexed someone in the process. Several times. But part of him was sad that she hadn't been there to see Harry born, nor Willow, who James and Lily had named after her, something they'd been planning since they were engaged.

But none of that seemed to matter as he saw her with Draco, the man she had loved steadfastly through those years at war. All he could do was be elated that she had found her way back to him, and that they were together again at last, though he wasn't going to voice those opinions out loud. It would be far too unlike himself to do so.

 **AN- I hope you enjoyed this brief snapshot into the years everyone spent after Maia's departure. I figured explaining it as it's own chapter would be far easier than having Severus telling it, mostly because I hate writing walls of speech. I think it's one of my pet peeves in any type of writing**

 **I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter and your opinion on the review I replied to at the top.**

 **Amyx**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Severus' brief summary of the years she had missed left Maia with an odd taste in her mouth. She was not jealous of the years they had spent without her, but she did feel herself mourning the missed opportunities she could have had with them. She wasn't sure how she would have handled Regulus and his sacrifice, though she certainly wasn't happy that he was gone. She knew she would have found out before the fact, mostly because she had a tendency to be both nosy and suspicious, but she couldn't be sure that she would have stopped him. She'd have lectured him for hours on end, but when that was all said and done, she wasn't sure that it would have changed his mind. Regulus hadn't shown any interest in any witches or wizards after the end of the war, romantically or otherwise, so she was reasonably certain that the only people he cared for were their circle. And knowing Reg as well as she did, she knew he would have done anything to keep Sirius from dying and even more to make his brother happy. And in the end, he did.

But along with her conflict over Regulus came the glow in her heart at hearing Lily's daughter's name. Willow Maia, not just named after her but after the whomping willow, her willow, which had saved the lives of many students during the siege on Hogwarts. Even though she hadn't been there with them, it still felt like part of her had been, even if it was just in name.

Severus' opinion of her younger alternate self had been highly amusing. "An infuriating, bossy, nightmare of a witch who luckily does not see me as her own personal broken toy that only she can fix." It had made Draco laugh too, especially when it seemed that the one person whose life hadn't changed at all, even though the timeline was drastically different to their own, was herself. It seemed fitting, in a strange way.

"We're going to have to tell the order." Draco had told her once their brief catch up was over. "They will work out eventually that he's different to Professor Snape, especially when your Severus doesn't have a potions mastery."

"I do have the mastery." Severus pointed out, though Draco didn't correct himself.

"I know we have to explain that to them but I don't know how." Maia frowned. "There's so much that they still don't know and I don't feel up to spending the next week attempting to explain it all."

"Then we stick to the basics." Draco shrugged. "We let everyone know that this Severus is from the timeline you were sent to and that he only lied until he was sure he found the right one, otherwise he would risk exposing himself to people who likely wouldn't believe him if you weren't the right Maia."

"That's exactly why I lied." Severus almost sneered. "There's no need to make it sound like you're fabricating some kind of cover story."

"We can deal with the order later." Maia spoke, unsure about the strange interaction between Severus and Draco. "We should tell Neville, Kingsley and McGonagall first, then we can deal with who else gets to know. Anyone at shell cottage will need the explanation but we should keep his presence here as secretive as we can. We don't need to tell a bunch of students that their questionably evil headmaster is back from the dead but actually from a different universe."

"Agreed." Severus nodded. "While your experiences aren't anything we need to hide, mine are. There was a lot of research involved in coming here and we don't want your Riddle finding that out."

"I think one megalomaniac per timeline is enough to handle as it is." Draco muttered, earning a chuckle from Maia.

"Perhaps I could be of some help." A dreamy voice announced, stepping into the tent. Luna, in all of her mismatched gaudy cargianed glory, stood with an almost disturbing smile on her face. "I don't have much of an idea about briefing the order but a fidelius charm could keep his memories safe. You just need a secret keeper who nobody would expect to be involved."

"Are you volunteering?" Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

"No." She spoke simply. "I was going to suggest that we use Ronald."

"I've spent enough years teaching him to…" Severus started, a deep sneer on his face.

"That's brilliant." Maia beamed. "He doesn't have to know everything about your research to be the secret keeper, all he has to know is that it exists."

"So the only person who knows would be under the constraints of a charm that probably won't work if your lovely ginger friend doesn't have the ability to share the information." Draco rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

"When protecting a location all you have to know is where it is." Luna smiled. "You don't have to know who's staying there, what colour the paint is on the kitchen walls, where every creaky floorboard is."

Draco didn't respond, though the still looked skeptical.

"It won't hurt to try." Maia shot Draco a rather pointed look.

"I suppose that would be acceptable." Severus drawled, it was only then that Maia saw just how alike Severus was to her former professor. It was a little disconcerting. They'd been so separate before, but it seemed time was what made Professor Snape the man he was, not his experiences.

"You can all deal with that." Maia shrugged, standing up from the steps she was sat on. "I don't want to know who you choose."

"Agreed." Draco smiled half-heartedly, making his way to the tent flap. "I'll start explaining to the lot inside, if they're willing to listen that is." With a swift nod, he swept from the tent, his shoulders visibly relaxing as he left Severus' presence.

"I'm glad you're back." Maia smiled, hugging Severus one last time before also leaving the tent, sneaking past the muttering group in shell cottage's kitchen to make her way up to Ginny.

The teen was alone, laying as still as ever in her pseudo hospital room. Empty and full potion vials were scattered around her, a pile of clean sheets and clothes waiting on top of a chest of drawers. She looked as helpless as ever, her expression blank, though at a quick glance, her leg at least looked to be doing much better.

Maia's fingers itched for her wand as she looked at her unconscious friend. Just a quick incantation and she could be inside her mind, finding what truly was keeping her from waking, and bringing at least some hope back into the world. The only thing that was stopping her was Molly. Ginny wasn't of age, so Maia couldn't argue that she would be perfectly willing to try anything to wake up, everything rested on Molly Weasley's grief laboured shoulders. She knew the matriarch wasn't thinking logically, she was thinking desperately, and any risk to her children's well being wouldn't be acceptable.

She just had to get back Percy and Arthur. If Molly had her family back, Maia was certain she'd let her try to wake Ginny, especially if she managed to do so alone. Her mind travelled to the cloak she'd arrived in. She was certain it was an invisibility cloak, with all the time she'd had to think on it. It wasn't like Harry's, there was something very different about the way it felt, but it could be enough to sneak around whatever dungeon the Weasleys were being held in.

There was no doubt in her mind that she had the skill to release the pair. The only question was of if she should. She couldn't risk anything suspicious alerting Riddle to a new threat, especially not one as powerful as she was. Or just maybe, the risk could be worth it.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Maia had several targets. The first of which, Malfoy Manor. With the family believed to be dead, there was no reason for Riddle to vacate the building. It hadn't been his main residence during the war, but it had been used as a prison. She'd been held there. There was no reason it wouldn't still be.

She'd felt no guilt sneaking away from Shell Cottage, just that same calm she'd felt all those weeks ago. Even as she walked toward the building that held her worst memories, her only thoughts were on subtlety. You can't be seen, you can't leave anyone to report back to Riddle. Her mind easily accepted the reality of killing people on her way through the manor, despite her hesitancy during the last battle she fought. But she supposed it wasn't a battle. It wasn't even a rescue mission. It was a necessity. She was just too impatient to wait for confirmation of where their prisoners were.

Maia pulled her hood up as she neared the grand building, the same odd veil over her vision confirming her suspicions, she was indeed wearing an invisibility cloak. It was surprisingly easy to break into the manor, given all she had to do was walk inside a few feet behind a man she assumed was a snatcher. The halls of the manor were dark, barely lit by the sunlight streaming through the cracks in closed, heavy curtains and the few candles that were dotted around the corridors. She kept vigilant, walking quietly and slowly as she surveyed her surroundings.

She never knew where the dungeons were, despite having spent some time inside the building. So she kept track of each turn she'd made, each door she'd passed, even the paths the snatchers and death eaters were patrolling. There were some doors that were passed more frequently, though none lead to a cellar. There was however a corridor that nobody ventured near, and given the distant voices echoing their way up, she had a suspicion that it was being avoided purposefully.

So naturally, she searched it first.

There was a singular door along the corridor and a staircase that went below the ground floor. She ignored the door and made her way down, her wand rather loose in her grip. A small part of her mind wanted to grip it tight, but the calmness that overwhelmed her kept it at bay. She didn't blink twice as she walked down the all too recognisable corridor. No evidence of her last visit remained, though there was some conversation to be heard.

"That's all you ever say." One voice whispered. "Have faith, they'll find us. We both know that they've got some sort of enchantment to make this place unplottable. They'd have found us by now if not."

"For all we know, they think we're dead." A second voice spoke, a female one that seemed not to care about what volume she talked at. "Or everyone who would have come to find us is dead and we're the last of the order alive."

"We wouldn't be alive if we were the only ones left." A more familiar voice spoke. "We have to keep out spirits up. The moment we give up is the moment he wins."

"He already has won." The woman spat back. "If you hadn't noticed we're locked up and our only hope for defeating him is dead."

With a light smile, Maia dropped her hood and made her way toward the voices.

Two ginger men of differing age were in one cell, across from the woman whose cell seemed to be covered in blood. She looked vaguely familiar, though she couldn't have placed her, despite all of the effort she'd put into remembering people.

"Hermione?" The older man spoke, coming to the bars of his cell. They were recently transfigured. It was probably something to do with the woman. "I knew we couldn't give up."

"Forgive my forgetfulness but I assume you're Arthur Weasley." Maia spoke, making quick work of the lock, swinging the cell door open. "And you're Percy?"

The pair didn't seem to happy with their rescuer, though they left the cell anyway. "Who else is here? How many are we escaping with?"

Maia kept her expression blank as she opened the woman's cell, though she didn't make any move to leave it. "I'm the only one here and you're the only people escaping."

"What do you mean the only one? The only people?" The older man questioned, tugging Maia's arm, making her face him. "For all we know there are other order members being held here. We have to get reinforcements and help them."

Maia glanced down at his hand, tightly gripping her forearm. "The reason I'm here is because I need to convince Molly to let me help Ginny. It's rather important."

"What's wrong with Ginny?" The other man spoke, though he didn't feel the need to grab her.

"Can't you tell?" The woman in the cell smiled. "She doesn't care. Whatever happened to her, she's not Hermione Granger anymore." The woman walked from the shadows to lean on the bars of her cell, her nostrils flaring. "I don't even need her scent to know that."

Maia turned her attention back to the woman. "Werewolf?" She asked as she took in the scars on her neck.

"Is that a problem?" The woman bit back, baring her teeth slightly.

"That depends." She shrugged. "Do you plan on eating everyone?"

The woman snorted, receding back into her cell. "Like I have a choice once the moon rises."

"I'm leaving this door open." Maia stated, pulling her arm out of the man's vice like grip. "If you feel like leaving give a howl, I'll apparate you to the order."

The woman narrowed her eyes for a moment, a malicious smile gripping her mouth as she walked back into the shadows.

"I don't suppose you're going to explain anything." The older man spoke as she led them from the dungeons. "You most likely don't even know where our wands are."

"That doesn't matter." She shrugged, pointing to the singular door she'd walked past. "They're probably in there. And keep quiet, I don't feel like having to kill everyone here."

"Nobody's killing anyone." The older man snapped, pushing his way into the room, which indeed held many, many wands along with various other belongings. Several minutes passed and the two men were still without wands.

"Do speed up." Maia frowned. "It's the full moon tonight and we're almost past sunset."

The men's eyes widened and they found themselves with wands much faster. "We should go back and shut her cell. We don't want her loose."

"Actually we do." Maia smiled, leading them into the hallway. "Escaped prisoners is one thing, but a nice werewolf mauling will cover our tracks rather nicely."

A man in a black cloak rounded the corner and without a second thought Maia had flicked her wand at him, his form quietly slumping to the ground. Though he was clearly unhappy about it, the man kept his mouth shut and followed Maia from the Manor with all too much ease. Once far enough from the manor's grounds Maia placed her hands on their arms, noting their discomfort. With an eerie smile, Maia apparated them away.

To the edge of a cliff.

"Now then." She smiled, holding the men over the edge. "Where are Arthur and Percy Weasley?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The wind whipped through Maia's hair at the high altitude she'd found herself at, rather amused by the desperate pleading from the men she was threatening. She was mildly impressed with her strength as she held them precariously over the cliff's edge. She had briefly considered letting them go, though they'd be no use to her dead.

"I know you aren't the Weasleys." Maia frowned, gazing across the rather serene view before her, without the two terrified men of course. "Though you have frequent access to them if you can use their hairs in Polyjuice potion."

"We're not death eaters." One man pleaded, desperately clutching to her arm. The other was pale, his hands grasping hers as he shook, unable to form words. "I swear, we're not who you think we are."

Maia smiled sweetly at the man, tilting her head to the side slightly. "I don't think you're death eaters, I think you're snatchers. I can tell just from the smell. You reek of sweat and soap, not the most normal combination all things considered but you don't forget the smell easily."

"Please, don't kill us." He pleaded, his eyed frantic. "We don't know anything about some Weasleys, we swear."

"No, you swear." Maia's expression turned steely as she extended her arms fully, letting them lean a little closer to their sudden demise. "Now answer my questions. You wouldn't have been planted in that cell if someone didn't think you could do your job properly. And I expect you to answer me with that same diligence."

"He'll kill us if we tell." He began to sob, his chest shaking slightly.

"And you'll die if i let you go." She frowned, turning her attention to the second, silent man. "Maybe I should drop one of you, it would certainly prove an effective incentive."

"Please don't." The first sobbed, though Maia didn't pay him any attention. "I'll tell you. I promise. They're in the Department of Mysteries, all of the prisoners are. I'm telling the truth, I swear."

"I believe you." Maia smiled, barely sparing a second glance at him, narrowing her eyes at the silent man. "And i'm very sorry but I can't leave you alive to go running back to Riddle." The man whimpered more, holding Maia's sleeve tighter.

And Maia let go.

As he plummeted, screaming and sobbing, she finally saw some real fear in the second man's eyes. He'd been so certain she wouldn't kill him, right up until that moment. Which meant that this man knew her through more than just reputation. He most likely knew her from those oh so distant years in hogwarts. The only question was, who exactly was he.

Maia suddenly smiled, pulling him back from the precipice, making sure his feet were securely on the ground. "What is Theodore Nott doing pretending to be Percy Weasley?"

The man, still shaking slightly, glanced up at her with Percy's eyes. "Keeping myself alive." He breathed, setting himself on the ground, his eyes firmly shut. "After The Dark Lord ordered for Malfoy to be killed I wasn't all too certain he'd let me live either." He opened one eye, glancing up at her questioningly. "How did you recognise me if you couldn't remember Lavender Brown?"

Maia shrugged. "Because I didn't use legilimency on her to find out." She glanced over to the edge, the screams having fallen silent. "I didn't use legilimency on him either. He wasn't a friend of yours was he?"

Theodore closed his eyes again, dropping his forearm over them. "He was just some snatcher I was supposed to keep an eye on. The Dark Lord wasn't too sure he was trustworthy."

"As it turns out he wasn't." Maia spoke, sitting down next to him. "I don't suppose you're going to run off and tell Riddle what happened are you?"

"Nah." He shrugged, his breathing becoming more even. "I don't feel like dying today."

"Then you'll be pleased to hear that Draco's alive an well." Maia smiled, turning to look down at him. "Feel like a reunion?"

Theodore opened his eyes again, pulling himself into a seated position. "We may have been in the same house, but we weren't really friends."

Maia shrugged, turning her attention to the rising moon that was beginning to peek over the forested hills in the distance. "I meant with Luna." She smiled, leaning back on her arms, closing her eyes.

Theodore seemed a little surprised, though he didn't say anything about it. "Why did you just kill them? I hadn't thought you had it in you."

Maia kept her eyes closed, contemplating her answer. "I spent some time away, learned some lessons." She slowly opened her eyes, the calmness that had overtaken her slowly receding. "It just so happens that one of those lessons is that the order was wrong trying to keep their hands clean. You can't win a war if your side is the only one losing numbers."

Theodore snorted, rising to his feet. "Let's just get back to your precious order. I'm sure they're waiting to hear how you got on."

Maia stood, though hesitated to take his arm. "They don't know I where I went, or why. Though they've probably figured out I've disappeared." She took one last look over the rolling hills, a wistful sigh escaping her lips. "It's not an uncommon occurrence though."

"You don't trust your buddies anymore?" He asked mockingly, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Of course not." She shrugged. "Legilimency is only one way to steal information from a person." Maia took her wand in her hand, though suddenly stopped before apparating. "Which one of them is the mole? You were prepared for a break out. Who told you?"

Theodore looked back at her with the same blank expression. "Shacklebolt. He's been under the imperius for a week or so now."

Maia pouted slightly before shrugging. "We'll just have to deal with that when we get there then." With a turn and a crack, Maia left the cliffside, returning the spot to its former tranquility, though the body at the bottom of the cliff wasn't helping.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Draco hadn't been to worried when he'd noticed Maia was missing. They frequently lost sight of her when expanding the tunnels below the house, it wasn't so uncommon that she needed time to herself either. He did start to worry however, when he saw her apparate on the beach front with a former classmate. He'd been sat with Ginny, absently informing her of the last few days occurrences when his attention had been drawn to the window. The ocean was not a location Draco was used to being near, so he found himself frequently watching the tide, endless questions filling his mind and leaving it, just as the water seemed to tease the coast.

He jumped to his feet, sprinting down the two flights of stairs, ignoring the protests at his disregard for all the noise he was making. In what could have been seconds, he was sprinting out of the cottage, wand tight in his hand.

"What the hell are you doing bringing Nott here?" He panted, his wand pointed firmly at the pair once he'd skidded to a stop in the damp sand.

"He was polyjuiced as Percy, I couldn't pass up the opportunity of making an ally." Maia shrugged, placing her hand on Draco's arm, casting him a pointed look. "I haven't missed you pointing a wand at me." She spoke, an eyebrow lifting.

"I wasn't pointing it at you." He frowned, his gaze affixed on the no longer ginger Theodore.

Maia smiled slightly, patting Draco's cheek lightly with a sigh. "He's fine. We weren't the only couple at Hogwarts who had to sneak around."

"Sure." He snorted, begrudgingly allowing Maia to push his arm back to his side. "You order and your bloody strays." He muttered, turning his attention to Maia. "Where the hell were you that you found him?"

"Your manor." She shrugged, unphased by the fire that seemed to light behind his eyes. "I was perfectly fine as you can tell, though in all likelihood there's now a werewolf on the loose ripping to shreds everyone in the place. Might take a while to clean up the mess."

"A werewolf?" He asked, concern painting his expression. "You are going to bring me to an early grave."

"She almost did the same to me." Theodore spoke up, shrugging off the ripped jacket he'd been wearing. "Though I doubt she's going to threaten to drop you off the edge of a cliff."

Draco raised his eyebrows at her, completely perplexed. "Was there a reason you were running around with werewolves and dangling off cliffs?"

Maia rolled her eyes at him, stowing her wand away. "I found a mole, I like to think that's worth a little time atop a cliff."

"Like I said, early grave." He sighed, holding the bridge of his nose. "Who's the mole?" 

"An imperioused Kingsley." She answered, glancing up at the cottage. "He was probably hit with it last time he went out asking for volunteers."

"This is going to be a long night." He complained, pulling Maia into a tight hug. "Please don't go off gallivanting with werewolves without telling anyone. You disappear too much, we've all gotten used to it."

"As touching as that is," Theodore rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm freezing, starving and most likely still suffering from my time hanging off a cliff. Can we head inside?"

"We're going to run out of space at some point." Maia shrugged, starting her walk up to the cottage. "He might have to take a bed in the tent."

Draco cringed at the thought before following Maia, turning to face the unmoving Theodore. "Best hurry before she changes her mind about letting you stay here."

Theodore quickly fell into step beside Draco, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, trying to erase the awkward air that hung between them. "I never imagined you'd be friendly with Granger. Scary as she is now."

Draco smirked to himself, turning to face Theodore. "Friendly isn't even the half of it." He chuckled, his eyes fixed on the witch striding in front of them.

"An early grave you said?" Theodore nodded, taking in the sight that was Maia. "In more ways that one I imagine." He joked, glancing up at the windows lighting in the building ahead.

The night was filled with questions, though Maia didn't answer them, simply stating that she had the answers she needed and that for now, it would be enough. People listened and believed her lacklustre answer, though she didn't believe it herself. There was far more that she needed to do before she could she could tell anyone about the prisoners in the Ministry. Before she could ask the order to launch an assault on the halls they'd almost lost in once already. The place they'd lost Sirius black. She could barely stand the idea of walking into the place, her scar from that night relighting at the mere memory. She'd healed a lot, but not enough for that.

Perhaps she had been thinking backwards. Perhaps she didn't need Arthur and Percy to save Ginny, but Ginny to save Arthur and Percy. There were few people she could trust to embark on such an endeavour, and Ginny Weasley, with all she had forgotten, was high on her list. Maia entertained the idea for a moment. But in all memory she could piece together, the little it was at times, she knew how Ginny loved Harry, and just how fiercely she had fought for that. Not standing against death eaters because of some deep moral code that had driven her life, she did it for Harry. Just like Ron had. Just like Hermione had. Perhaps that was why she hesitated, not because of the word of Molly Weasley, but because she knew how Ginny loved.

In another life, she might have called it a mercy, letting Ginny remain in her dreams. Letting her pretend for as long as her body would let her, that Harry hadn't lost. She would wake up to far more chaos than had been when she slept, to the reality that her family was broken apart. But despite all of the darkness in the world, Maia could see no mercy in keeping Ginny from it all. It was a lie, whatever it was she was imagining. No lie, however beautiful, was a mercy. Maia had seen that before. Many, many times.

She stole a last glance at the now woken residents of the cottage, her gaze resting on Molly, who was fussing over her sons like she always had. She could ask again, she could ask a thousand times, and she knew the answer would never change, whether her husband was at her side or not. Whether her living sons were safe. She would never accept the risk. But Maia could.

She pulled her hood back up, willing the veil to cloud her vision for the second time that night. She didn't have much time, given that she had a werewolf to pick up in the morning. So she didn't waste any. She sped up the stairs, her footfalls silent as she went. She swept into Ginny's room, settling herself at Ginny's side, bringing her hands to Ginny's face.

"I swear to Merlin, Ginevra Weasley, if you don't wake up I'll kill you myself." She muttered, pushing her way into Ginny's mind.

Her mind, despite having been given no training in Occlumency, was surprisingly well protected, though something about it felt familiar. She'd seen those winding tunnels before, felt that particular darkness against the edges of her mind. She'd seen it in Tom Riddle. Maia had known that Tom had been part of Ginny's mind, but she never truly understood the extent until that moment, as she raced toward Ginny's mind. If Riddle had been able to show Harry false images, though the piece of him that lived inside of him, could it be possible for him to do the same to Ginny.

Maia quickly retreated from Ginny's mind, her breathing heavy and fast. A mere fragment of Riddle had used Ginny as a puppet, she dreaded to think of what he could do at his full strength. It wouldn't be a battle against Ginny. She had to wage it against Tom.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Maia retreated into her thoughts for days, refusing to eat or sleep, drowning out the horde of voices that tried to interrupt her. She had broken into Riddle's mind once before, when he was weak, barely recovering from the destruction of his horcruxes, unexpecting attack. But the Riddle that had a hold of Ginny's mind, he'd had time to recover, to gather strength. He'd had time to erect a maze around Ginny's mind and he'd had time to prepare for attack.

While she had no doubt that she was strong, she could only question how effective that strength would be against a man with far more time on his hands than she'd had. He'd had time to further perfect his Occlumency than the Riddle she'd fought before, and though he'd spent that time without a body, she doubted he needed one to be able to protect his mind. He'd spent a decade waiting before his first attempt to restore his body. He couldn't have simply been gathering strength, drifting through the world with no purpose. She knew his mind far more intimately than she liked to admit, and she knew he was far too much like her. He was impatient, determined and knew exactly how powerful he was. Had he wanted to, he could have tied himself to Nicholas Flamel's body and simply stolen the Philosopher's Stone himself, but instead he had waited for mention of Harry Potter to reach the wizarding world. He'd chosen the perfect time to make his attempt on the stone. He was impatient, but he was not above waiting for the time to strike. And if Maia was Riddle and had a doorway into the mind of one of Harry's allies, she wouldn't simply strike when it was convenient, she would wait for the moment she broke, for when she couldn't muster the strength to fight back, and then, she'd do everything in her power to keep a hold of that mind.

That much she had worked out by the end of the first day in her self inflicted isolation. The harder part was working out a way to break through to Ginny. She retreated into her memory to study Riddle's maze for the second, noting how efficiently he had managed to rearrange the maze around her without her knowledge of it in that moment. She spent hour upon hour searching for a crack in his resolve, for the smallest hole to slip through, but no such obvious answer appeared. She'd ruminated on assaulting him by force, but even if she broke through, she risked damaging Ginny's mind more than it already had been.

What she needed was a way to distract him, to draw his attention from Ginny's mind for long enough to erect her own barrier between Ginny and Riddle. Then all that would remain would be to teach Ginny how to Occlude her mind, for however long it would take. But it would render Maia useless for what could likely be months, if not years. She could always ask Severus to do so in her place, which had its advantages given his own occlumency had stood against Riddle for years. All that remained was to find a way to give Severus the chance.

She thought of using the assault on the ministry, but she could not guarantee that he would care enough to go himself, nor that he would fight it with his full strength. She could easily imagine him doing both with little difficulty. She needed something that would demand his attention, and there was only one thing that had ever achieved that, and he was dead.

It was during that planning that she saw death for a third time, his dark, obscured avatar pacing before her.

"You still fight against it." He observed, his hooded face turning to her. "Why?"

"Because you sent me here to." Maia pouted, her attention inexplicably drawn to him.

"I'm not talking about Tom." He spoke, standing before her, his head craning down, though she could still not see a face underneath the hood. "I speak of the piece of me you carry."

Maia smirked, standing before him, though he still towered over her. "You think I fight it?" She laughed. "It is the only thing that fuels me. I haven't had much problem using it to kill, or to turn away from the dying. That coldness is what carries me through it all."

"That isn't mine." He laughed breathily, an odd rattling echoing in her mind. "You crafted that on your own. Stop fighting it. Let it swallow you whole, devour all that you are and create the very thing that will win this war."

"It's not mine." She sneered. "I refuse to believe that ice is mine. I forgave him, I had the chance to kill him and I let it pass. You are death and I know what that means all too intimately. You hunger for life, you crave it. But whenever you touch it it turns stale and cold." She felt an odd steel pass over her body, urging her to push further, to understand further as he words flowed from her lips. "You were me once, before you knew what it felt like for your soul to starve. But that's where we differ. I already know that hunger, and I know how to curb it far better than you." She felt herself take a step forward, Death backing away from her. "I don't need that calm to take life, I've done it while ablaze. I don't need to fight it, because I'm already far better than it. Because I know how to want something, how to need it in every fibre of my soul and how to not touch." She bit her last words, sharpening them against him.

"You don't know how wrong you are." Death wheezed back, lunging forward.

But Maia stood firm, staring into the empty blackness that was his face, the steel that had filled her holding her firm. "If I'm so wrong, why are you so unable to prove it." She spat, watching as Death slunk back, his hooded head lowered.

"I'm starting to wonder why I chose you." He rattled.

"Because Tom doesn't have the strength to control you." Maia sneered, turning away from Death. "You can leave now, I'm sure you have lots of souls to claim." She didn't need to look to know he had gone, nor did she need to look to know that she had an audience.

"I've worked it out." Luna spoke, her expression as unreadable as ever. "Whether it's good or bad. Though I'm not sure you want to hear my answer."

Maia smirked, turning to look at the girl with now black eyes. "It's both. And I intend to unleash it on everything that stands between me and Riddle."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

When Maia finally emerged from her isolation, she called a meeting for the next morning, sweeping from the tent as she always had. She felt different after her meeting with Death, though she couldn't place it. There was no fire, no new motivation, no plan of infinite wisdom that she could pull together in a moment's notice. But the feeling was there of an important change, and she supposed that once the war was over she could figure out what it was.

The moment she stepped into shell cottage's kitchen she felt Draco's worried eyes on her, watching every move she made as if it were completely new to him. In some ways it was. She absently flicked through her runic copy of tales of beedle the bard, her mannerisms much like they had been for years, like they had been since she first walked the halls of hogwarts, but Draco regarded them with some despairing interest.

"You're different." He sighed, a frown affixed on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And I don't mean from before you're time in the seventies." He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Something happened to you while you were sat with Ginny."

"What do you mean?" Maia asked, biting her lip, mentally cursing herself for what felt like a lie all too easily escaping her lips.

"Aside from your eyes being black." He tilted his head to the side, pursing his lips slightly. "I don't know. I'm used to seeing you as Maia and not Hermione, but it's like that moment outside your cell again. Like you just look like her. I still see Hermione in you, I have to catch myself from calling you that sometimes. And the longer I keep pretending the further from me you'll get."

Maia drew in a shuddered breath, dropping her gaze to the ground. "I can't tell you you're wrong." Her throat felt suddenly sore as the all too familiar sting of tears burned her eyes.

"I've seen everything you went through, walked through your memories of that time." He spoke, his voice cracking slightly. "And it shouldn't surprise me. But it does. Out of the blue, I suddenly remember that you aren't the same girl who snuck into the room of requirement with me. And it surprises me even more that I hate that."

Maia turned away from him, holding her breath as she waited for his next words.

"That I keep forgetting." He let out an exasperated laugh. "Why can't I remember that? Why is it so hard to remember that you changed? It's like I expect to wake up in the castle and see you walking around with your too frizzy hair and your too heavy bag."

"I'd go back if I could." She sighed. "If I could erase everything that's changed between us I would."

"Why on earth would you do that?" Draco asked, confusing Maia from her dread.

"I thought you were going to tell me that you don't know who I am anymore." Maia laughed slightly, turning to face him. "That we're too different now, that I'm illusive. That you love Hermione Granger."

"No matter how long you spent as Maia Germain, you will always be Hermione Granger." Draco spoke, his voice low. "I forget sometimes because I still see her, and yes I miss those days, but I wouldn't trade any of what happened since then because you might not be here with me otherwise."

Maia smiled lightly, relief flooding through her. "You could still call me Hermione, if you wanted."

"You did give out my nickname for you." Draco smiled, wrapping his arms around her.

"Do I really have to see that?" A voice whined, accompanied by ginger hair. "I've lost my appetite."

"You'd never lose your appetite Weasley." Draco rolled his eyes. "It's big enough."

Maia lightly slapped his arm, futilely rolling her eyes at him. "Is everyone going to make it to the meeting?"

"Kingsley's still in Ireland but other than him everyone's said they'd make it." Ron spoke, easily digging through the kitchen cupboards despite his earlier protest. "Apparently there are some students that want to come with Neville, want to do more. I told him to apparate them into the tunnels and we'd evaluate them there. You should see them now, we've got most of the important rooms finished."

"Do you know who they are?" Draco asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Not a clue." Ron shrugged. "Neville didn't want us turning them away."

"Which means there's at least one slytherin." Maia pursed her lips, thinking through the list of names she could remember. She couldn't imagine any of them turning against their parents. Especially when it looked like Tom was winning."

"I can think of a few who'd fight on our side." Draco nodded. "Despite the appearance there were half bloods and muggleborns in slytherin. They mostly kept to themselves. The prefects drilled into everyone by the first week that if you don't keep up the reputation of the house you'd find yourself without one."

"Sounds barbaric." Ron snorted into his cereal, shovelling it in his mouth as quickly as he could chew.

"Sounds like griffindor." Maia frowned, remembering Neville from their first year, remembering her first months in the house.

"Well, they'll be arriving within the hour so maybe detangle you from Malfoy before you scare them." Ron commented, continuing his ravenous shovelling.

"What's this meeting even about?" Draco asked, reluctantly releasing Maia.

"I'll tell you in the meeting." Maia's eyes widened slightly, heading for the door. "I'm late for an appointment." She spoke, not sparing a glance for the two in the kitchen.

"What appointment could she have? We're in a bloody war." Ron whined.

"One with a werewolf." Draco sighed as Maia disappeared with a crack.

Maia looked across the carnage that was Malfoy Manor, blood was strewn everywhere, body parts stuck high in trees and on walls. She felt slightly guilty for having not waited to pick up Lavender before tending to Ginny, but she supposed the new werewolf had nowhere to go, and would probably feel guilty for killing so many. If she was alive that is. A group of wizards could stop a werewolf on a rampage, she just had to hope that the death eaters and snatchers there were incompetent.

"Lavender." Maia called. "Sorry for being late."

After a few moments, a very naked and bloody Lavender stepped out of the manor, an upset frown on her face. "You're not sorry. I'm sure there was a reason to leave me here."

"Leaving you to rip apart the witnesses was intentional, the few days since was an unforeseen setback." Maia shrugged. "Do you want some clothes before you apparate to the order or after?"

"I'd rather shower first." Lavender sneered.

"Not a fan of the aftermath?" Maia asked.

Lavender cackled. "I don't give a damn that they're dead, but I didn't become a heathen overnight. I like being clean."

"Perfect. Maia grinned. "I was worried you'd be overcome with guilt."

"The bastards tortured me. They deserve what they got." Lavender shrugged, walking toward Maia. "Maybe not that guy though." She frowned, pointing to a section of torso high in a tree. "I get the feeling he wasn't as bad as the others."

"Do you believe that?" Maia asked, extending her arm.

Lavender paused for a moment before taking Maia's elbow. "No."

Almost as soon as Maia had left she was back at the cottage with Lavender and a very uncomfortable welcoming party. Molly Weasley seemed only concerned with the blood that stood in for her clothing.

"Come along dear, well take a look at you." Molly almost cooed.

"I only need a bath." Lavender shrugged, following the plump woman. "None if it's mine." As they continued up to the cottage Lavender paused as she passed Bill Weasley, her nostrils flaring slightly. The two nodded at each other before she continued her path inside.

"What did I say about gallivanting with werewolves?" Draco frowned, blocking Maia's path up to the house.

"It wasn't the full moon and she would have been stuck alone in your manor, what was I supposed to do?" Maia feigned a frown, knowing full well Draco wouldn't believe her white lie.

"You had a reason you wanted her there and a reason she's here now." Draco shook his head. "Neville arrived with his students just after you left. They're waiting in the tunnels."

"I'll head down now." Maia nodded, trying to step around Draco who continued to block her path. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm sorry for worrying you Draco." He prompted.

Maia grinned and pressed a kiss to his lips. "I am sorry for worrying you. Even if you didn't need to." She skirted around him before he could catch her and headed down to the makeshift basement. Today was turning out to be an interesting one.


	15. Chapter 15

A now familiar sense of calm filled Maia as she stepped down into the basement, eyes scanning the few occupants for any recognisable features. She supposed that the lone girl impressed on her the colour yellow, though there was no reason Maia could find for that.

Neville spotted her walking down the stairs, excusing himself from the group to meet her at the bottom. "I don't suppose you recognise any of them?"

Maia didn't need to respond, simply raising an eyebrow at Neville.

"There's Ernie Macmillan, bit of an ass but you handled him fine before and his friend Michael Corner. The blonde girl is Hestia Carrow, former slytherin." Neville glanced to the side slightly. "Do you remember much about the Carrows?"

Maia narrowed her eyes, thinking back through her old memories. "I can guess that they're Death Eaters."

"Her father and aunt taught dark arts. She got a lot of abuse last year and it carried on since." Neville frowned to himself, biting his lip slightly. "I'll let you be the judge."

Maia smiled. "I won't need to." She walked over to the group, looking over them with mild interest.

"Grangers alive!" One of the boys smiled, slapping the other on the arm. "We were convinced you were dead when you didn't show up at the safe house."

"Why would I be in a safe house full of students?" Maia asked, raising her eyebrow slightly.

"You're still a student." Ernie persisted, almost laughing to himself. "Most of is have had more schooling than you, so you're technically less qualified for a position with the rebellion than us."

"She could have launched a rebellion in first year." Hestia muttered.

Neville was turned away, hands covering his face as his shoulders shook. There was an odd strangling sound squeaking past his fingers.

"You can send the mouthy one back, I'll hex him before we get anything done." Maia ordered the still laughing Neville. "Join me upstairs Hestia."

"Is that such a good idea?" Neville asked. "You haven't spoken to her."

"I don't intend to." Maia shrugged, making her way back to the stairs.

"What about me?" Michael whined, earning himself an eye roll.

"He can stay in the temporary barracks here," She shrugged. "Help with the expansion. Don't let him up until he's been inducted."

"But the slytherin…" he began to protest.

"Won't be leaving if we find anything lacklustre about her motivations." Maia looked at Hestia, her gaze steely. Hestia fully understood the meaning behind her glare.

Maia walked the blonde upstairs, ignoring the boys bustling around the kitchen, following the sound of arguing and running water. Mrs Weasley was animatedly waving around a sponge while Lavender, still naked and bloody had her hands on her hips.

"I don't need someone to bathe me." Lavender shrieked, glaring at Mrs Weasley. "I'm of age."

"You are my patient and until I deem you well, you will follow my instructions." She shrieked back, waggling the sponge in the Lavender's face.

Maia watched Hestia's expression as she took in the sight of Lavender. She noticed the blood first, her nose wrinkled in disgust. She then seemed to clue into the fact that Lavender was naked, eyes widening and an appropriate blush forming on her cheeks. She quickly turned around with a squeak, her hands covering her eyes.

"Molly, while I appreciate your help, you are not a healer here." Maia drew her attention, trying to look as unamused as possible. The older woman scowled and tossed the sponge in the bathtub before stalking out.

"Get in the bath Lavender, we can have a nice chat with our new friend here while you get clean." Maia ordered, raising an eyebrow at Lavender as she made to protest.

She stepped into the tub rather reluctantly and sank into the water, easing out a small sigh as the heat soothed her aching bones. "I don't suppose you brought Hestia up as a snack. The full moon was yesterday."

"She won't be." Maia shrugged, turning Hestia around by her shoulders. "But she will however become next moon's food if she turns out to be a spy."

"I'm not a spy I swear." Hestia pleaded, desperately clutching Maia's arm.

"Help Lavender get the blood off of her back won't you." Maia smiled, once again shooting down the werewolf's protests with a glance.

Hestia hesitantly grabbed a cloth from next to the sink and began wiping away the blood on Lavender's back, rapidly turning the water a bloody brown. There was a palpable silence between the two, as Hestia desperately battled between looking at what she was doing and not staring too much.

"Occlumency is a wonderful thing ladies." Maia smiled, exiting the bathroom. "I'll leave you two to get reacquainted. " She giggled to herself as she shut the door. Her plan was very simple, if a cleaned Lavender reported that Hestia had problems with her lycanthropy, she would rapidly find herself a prisoner. If not then all would be fine; at least those two wouldn't be making any babies together.

Maia made her way further up the stairs, to the attic room Ginny had been tucked away in. They'd moved her once her condition was less life threatening so that they could treat other patients on floors that didn't require 3 flights of steep stairs to reach. Once again, she was completely alone, as if somehow the Weasleys had forgotten about Ginny with the extra stairs between her and them. Maia checked her leg, loosened her joints and fed Ginny replenishing potions with the same tenderness she always had now that her subconscious wasn't begging for someone to die. She wondered what it would take for Ginny to wake up, beyond breaking through Voldemort's almost impenetrable wall around her mind. Could she simply tell her it was all a dream, that perfect world she was in? Would she even believe her? She might certainly believe it if Severus were the one to wake her up, but that would be rather difficult, getting him in the room alone with her would be hard enough. And Maia would need to provide an adequate distraction to keep Voldemort from stopping Severus. Preferably from realising he was infiltrating Ginny's mind at all. Then all she'd have to do is kill him, channel whatever inner piece of Death she was carrying around with her.

"You can't kill him." Death drolled. "The prophecy tied that power to Harry Potter, so without him, you don't get to kill Tom."

"I can make sure he can't make any more horcruxes, destroy any new ones he's made." Maia pointed out, mildly irritated by Death's lack of personality change.

"It still won't kill him. You'd have decades more of subjugation before he reached a natural death." Death paced closer to Ginny. "You have all the pieces you need, though some not in the right place, and you also have every scrap of information too. I'm sure you'll work something out."

"And I'm sure I can kill him without your useless advice." Maia dismissed, keeping her attention solely on Ginny.

"Maybe." Death shrugged. "Maybe not."


	16. Chapter 16

AN- I don't usually use author's notes anymore but I figured you might need a heads up. This chapter uses some very basic chess. And I mean insanely basic because I never learned how to play with any strategy, my brother prefered just beating me to teaching me. But either way, this may be slightly hard to follow at times but I tried to make the parts where piece positions were important as clear as possible.

Enjoy the chapter.

Maia narrowed her eyes at the chess board, carefully calculating the entire war down to the small board and pieces. Despite the many magical sets she was sure existed at Shell Cottage, the one she was using was mundane. Unable to yell at her for "man handling" them or putting them in illegal positions. It was quite simple, or it should have been. Harry and Voldemort were Queens of their respective sides, and victory in the seemingly never ending war was the King. Harry was dead which meant the white pieces were without a Queen, and Voldemort's queen was an ever looming threat, made worse with their lack of its opposing piece. Maia had been tempted to name herself the Knight or the Bishop, instead opting to name herself a Rook, the same piece Ron had asked her to play all those long years ago. Ron too was represented by a Knight, though most of his family joined him under that heading. Ginny was a bishop, being trapped between several Knights and Rooks that represented no one. She was under no immediate threat, the pieces arranged in such a way that none could take her, but she couldn't leave. Maia understood that technically she could but that wouldn't be an accurate representation of the situation. She needed another piece to create an opening. The names of Voldemort's pieces don't matter, at least not to Maia. She had heard of no rising Death Eater to challenge the savage ranks held by the now dead Bellatrix, Lucius and Fenrir. What mattered was getting the black King under checkmate, which Maia was reasonably certain she could do without their Queen.

The other 'important' pieces represented Draco, Severus, Kingsley and Lavender. Other pieces represented groups, like former students, Percy and Arthur Weasley, several groups of Order members she could split however she wanted. She needed to keep Draco alive, naming him King 2, being represented by a second King she had transfigured from a quill she had found near the chess set. Lavender was the other Rook, Kingsley was a Knight and Severus a Bishop. Lavender was pulled back in her starting position, as was Severus, while Kingsley was deep on the opposite side of the board. Draco was occupying the space of the Queen, with pawns dotted around him and the King adjacent. There were several black pieces scattered around the board, at least the ones that weren't trapping Ginny, with no particular pattern, though they served to make reaching the opposing King difficult.

"You know that's not how you play right?" Ron asked, sitting down on the opposite side of the board. She was briefly made aware of the sound of lapping waves as Ron interrupted her thoughts, sending a chill down her spine as he remembered she was outside.

"It's not about playing chess." Maia rolled her eyes. "It's about representing all of the pieces I have and how I can best use them to remove Tom's."

"Talk me through it, minus who everyone is, you've noted that well." He smiled, pointing to the tiny names scribed on the pieces with a simple flick of her wand.

"I need to protect our two kings, while taking out the Queen and King on Voldemort's side." Maia explained. "We can't get pieces back once we've lost them, we can't trade one piece for another and we can't checkmate the King without the Queen being gone first."

Ron sighed, absently patting the black King. "Okay." He scrunched his nose a little as he lifted seemingly random pieces, second guessing where he would place them before he returned them to their original positions. Maia had been frustrated at the board for the last hour for the very same reason. She simply didn't have any more moves left, they were stuck in a near permanent tie. He seemed to pause when he saw the Rook, with Maia's name, in the middle of the board. "Why are you here?"

"Because right now I need to be on the front line." Maia shrugged, expecting her answer to be obvious.

"We need to rearrange this." Ron spoke, quickly picking up most of the pieces while Maia yelled in protest, cursing him under her breath. "You can put it all back when I'm done but I need you to pay attention to how I'm arranging these."

He raised both of the Rooks. "First thing's first, you shouldn't be in such a central position. Generals hang back in war and have foot soldiers who do the fighting because they need to pull back to see the bigger picture, not be in the thick of it. We're placing you at A3."

"I don't need you to tell me their positions." Maia complained.

"Force of habit." Ron shrugged. "It also helps me arrange things in my head."

Maia sighed and allowed him to continue.

"You've decided Lavender is the same piece as you. I understand why but her strategic value is not as high as her value on the ground. She goes at G4. She's far enough to the sides that she's not in the thick of everything but that she's still in a tactical position." Ron clicked her piece against the board, though he didn't let go of the piece. "But, if you want to use her to free Ginny, she moves to C4." He took a deep breath. "As for this second Malfoy King you thought I wouldn't notice, he needs to stop being a King."

Maia tried to protest but Ron held up his hand to stop her.

"Everything on this board is expendable, and I'm sorry to say but he is too. Whether you want him to be or not, Malfoy could be killed in this war and we shouldn't all be moving around, being put in danger, to protect the life of one man. He becomes the other bishop, and Snape becomes a pawn." Ron held out the second King for Maia to comply. "While Snape is far more skilled than most of us, you said yourself that Riddle can't find out about him, so instead of making him some gaudy piece, we hide him in with the foot soldiers. Anywhere along row 2 will work because he isn't at the front. As for Malfoy, he goes to E4. He's closer to their side than I think you would like to admit, so her goes there."

Maia reluctantly changed her enchantments and allowed Ron to place Draco near the front. She certainly wasn't happy about his placement, despite Ron's reasoning. She'd turn him right back into the King once Ron left.

"Next is us Weasleys, you can't risk us getting too close to Dad and Perce on G7 so you stick us on D3, we can jump in front of Malfoy if he's really that important to you, but you also won't just risk all of us like that, not while the others are this much of a mess. Malfoy can at least take care of himself." Ron continued rearranging pieces, though some of them didn't have particular reasons, like the pawns he placed at C3, F4 and D5.

"Now we come to Kingsley." Ron continued, picking up the Knight. "He hasn't shown up at the Cottage for over a week now so we can assume that the fidelius charm is holding up against his imperius. Until we find him and remove the curse, he's at C8, next to old Snake Eyes himself. Now the Kings, they represent absolute victory, and that means that they should be moved behind some defenses, but because we can't do that in the real world I'm adding a condition. The Kings remain in their start positions."

Maia took in the board, noting how thinly spread they seemed compared to the full force of Tom's army. She briefly noted Ron removing three of the white Pawns, followed by a black Bishop, Knight and Rook. There was a single untouched white Rook on G2 representing Severus. There was Tom at D8, his King at E8 and a Rook at H8, apparently remaining there to safeguard their side's King. While they didn't have a name for it, they were certain Tom would try to leave on person in place to protect his King, even if he was lost. He had a Knight at A6, a Bishop at 7 and Pawns scattered across the board, where they weren't crowding around ginny at A5. A4, B5 and 6 were the ones guarding her. There was a lone pawn at E5, one placed in front of Tom at D7 and three pawns guarding Kingsley at F7, G6 and H7.

"Riddle has more Pawns than we do, but we have more valuable pieces. He lost most of his a few days after the Battle of Hogwarts, no one knows why." He didn't notice Maia purse her lips at the comment. "We're bunched up further forward, but he's mostly constricted to his first three lines. No way will he try to gain more ground until he's successfully eliminated some of our bigger pieces, which he's using Kingsley to do. So what we need to do, is eliminate the pieces pushing into our territory. The ones around Ginny. But that's risky, because even though the moves are easy, we need to keep their Queen distracted elsewhere while smaller pieces free her."

"I could do it." Maia volunteered, looking around the board, she knew she could lead Tom around G3 while he ignored the other side of the board. "I can lure him into that empty space but Severus is there."

"Which is why he moves over to the other side and frees Ginny." Ron smiled, moving Severus to B3, Maia to F2, Tom to H3 and one of his pawns to G3. "You'll obviously need backup so you can move either me or Malfoy over to help you."

Maia selected the Knight, placing it at E2.

"Riddle would never risk a fair fight, so he'd have to bring over another Pawn. He could take the one from E5 but that's distracting some of our pieces, so he'll have to move one of the ones watching their prisoners. So H7 moves to H4, watching Riddles back and making sure that we don't have a clear opening for Dad and Percy.." Ron moved the pieces, and watched Maia's expression as the gears turned in her mind. He had never thought her bad at chess, on the contrary she was rather good, but she didn't have all the experience playing against his brothers that he'd gained during his childhood, so she would certainly have a harder time following his plan. "But by doing that, we have a clear opening to get Kingsley while Snape and whoever else he needs free Ginny." He swiped the pawns from A4 and B5 from off the board, moving Ginny to A2 and Kingsley to C2.

"Draco's the best person to back him up." Maia assessed, moving the bishop over while rolling her eyes at Ron. "He's the only other free player on the board who knows Legilimency." She moved him to A4.

Ron frowned a little. "If you want to keep all of your valuable players, you'll have to start sacrificing pawns. And Riddle won't be willing to lose any of his personal guard or the ones around his so he'll probably use the other two Pawns, his Knight and his Bishop to do so."

"I don't think we can predictably plot the rest of this war on a chess board Ron." Maia pointed out, beginning to tire of his albeit accurate explanations. "I was using this to assess where we stand and where we can move, not to orchestrate the next few months of battles."

"Okay, but you get my point right?" Ron asked, watching as Maia nodded. "But there is one more thing. We need to make sure one Pawn makes it to the other end of the board." Ron smiled, taking the pawn on D5 and moving it to D8. "Once a pawn reaches the other end of the board it becomes a Queen, and that Queen will put Riddle's King in checkmate."

"We can't just bring Harry back Ron." Maia snapped. "That's not how the world works."

"Snape came back from the dead, you did, Wormtail did, hell Harry's done it once before." Ron raised his voice right back, though not by much, not wanting to attract the attention of anyone feeling overprotective inside. "My point is, we need a new Queen and we can't make one out of the Knights and Bishops we have."

"You mean it can't be me to end this?" Maia levelled a stony expression at Ron, feeling an unwanted anger rise.

"I mean it can't be any of us." Ron corrected her, picking up his own piece. "I will die for this war if I have to 'Mione, so will a lot of us. But we won't do it knowing we're going to lose."

"You know I hated being called 'Mione." Maia rolled her eyes, her expression softening.

"I know." Ron grinned. "But you said hated."


	17. Chapter 17

Ron left 'Mione on the patio outside Shell Cottage with a light smile on his face. He knew she'd figure out what to do, she always did, but even the great Hermione Granger, or Maia or whatever it was people called her, even she needed help sometimes. He ignored the vaguely suspicious squint Malfoy regarded him with and headed into the kitchen, grabbing a sandwich from the seemingly always full platter that hadn't moved from the countertop for weeks. He absently ate it, thinking through the rest of the game 'Mione had cut off. He knew they'd have to make a lot of sacrifices before they could get to Riddle's Rook, including some of their bigger players, but he wasn't sure 'Mione would let herself really commit to the endgame she'd found herself in. There were pieces she'd never give up, Malfoy and Snape being two very clear examples.

"Beat Maia in record time out there Ron?" Neville asked, apparently having followed him.

"No we were going through the rest of the war." Ron spoke distractedly. If she were willing to give up one of her Knights, or even one of her Bishops 'Mione could easily free the prisoners from the ministry. She could have a pawn at the end of the board before the Rook could come into play.

"I'm not sure I'd use chess as my war room table but whatever suits you lot." Neville smiled, taking a sandwich of his own. "I don't suppose you know what she's planning. She's been scheming on her own a lot lately."

"I know." Malfoy interrupted, flicking his wand at the kettle behind them. "She has absolutely no idea what she's going to do. She's been all but backed into a corner." He frowned, moving past the pair to retrieve a mug from the sink that was washing itself. "She needs your sister to help her break into the Ministry and get back the prisoners there, but because two of the prisoners are your brother and father, and she thinks she needs them to wake your sister up, she's reached a paradox."

"What do you mean Ministry?" Neville asked, alarm on his face.

"If you wanted to keep two valuable prisoners in a secure location, where would you put them?" Malfoy asked Neville. "Your first thought would be Azkaban, because it's still extremely secure despite the break outs over the years. The anti-animagus wards around the place will stop anyone from pulling a Sirius Black and the Dementors helped the Death Eaters that escaped last time. The problem with Azkaban is that the Dementors might end up kissing one of them when they get too tempted or the prisoners might have a psychotic break, either way you lose access to their information." He took a quick pause to see if they were keeping up. "The next place you would think of is a follower's home, like he used mine over the last few years, but the problem is House Elves. You can ward against a lot of things but House Elf magic is extremely powerful. Nothing can stop a bonded elf from answering the summons of his master, even then the elf doesn't have to be bonded but have a deep enough connection that they can hear that person calling them for help. I could call any of the House Elves from Malfoy Manor and they would appear by my side in an instant, fidelius charm or not."

"But why the Ministry? Why not Hogwarts?" Neville asked, waving his barely eaten sandwich about.

"Because Hogwarts isn't just a building." Malfoy spoke, almost disappointedly. "It has had to survive through a lot more magical exposure than the Ministry has. All of those teenage outbursts of magic over the centuries should have caused a lot more physical damage than it did. The castle has its own magic that absorbs the magic it's exposed to, but it doesn't have anywhere to funnel it to so it slowly recycles it into its own magic. That's why teachers are so adamant we don't just run around waving our wands in the halls, because there's only so much it can handle at a time. You were both at the battle, you saw one blasting spell take down a dozen feet of solid brick, when it would barely do half as much damage if you cast the same spell on a muggle building. The castle couldn't keep up with all the magic flying around during the battle, so all that extra magic has to get released somewhere and that somewhere was amplifying the spells being shot around. Until that battle I didn't know a stunner could knock someone out for more than a few minutes, let alone the hours it took some people to wake up that day."

"I don't see what this has to do with the Ministry." Ron interrupted.

"I'm getting there." Malfoy cut across him, the kettle bubbling angrily away. "If you went back to Hogwarts now, even months later, there is still far too much extra magic buzzing around for it to be safe. If you tried to torture information out of someone at Hogwarts right now, you could kill them without even realising. If someone went on a rescue mission, one miscast spell could bring whatever's left of the ruin down on their heads. And you don't get information out of dead people."

The bubbling grew even louder, causing Malfoy to raise his voice slightly. "The Ministry has regular magic sweeps that keep it from absorbing too much magic, even from the minimal magic used inside, and Riddle doesn't have the time for that. He's impatient."

"As if he would care if my family died or not." Ron snapped. "They're being used as bait, we all know that."

"You don't need to keep people alive to use them as bait." Malfoy deadpanned. The kettle began angrily whistling, its shrill scream drilling into their brains. A flick of Malfoy's wand made the noise stop. "We know he's keeping them alive so we know he wants something more than just an incentive to draw you out. They might not be healthy when we find them, they might be on the brink of death, but the brink is a lot more useful to Riddle than just dead."

"You're shit at this kind of thing Malfoy." Ron spat, glaring at the blond as he made himself a cup of tea. "This is my family you're on about, not some random person plucked off the street."

Ron suddenly stopped talking when a cup of tea was thrust in his hands, by Malfoy no less who was holding a second mug of his own. "I'm not Maia, I can't give you a heartwarming speech. Just take what I'm saying at surface value. He won't kill them and if they're injured we can just heal them when we get them out." He made to walk out of the kitchen, grabbing a sandwich as he went. "Oh and you'd best either drink that tea or give it to Maia, I was originally making it for her."

"He's still a prat." Ron sulked, talking a sip of the tea.

Neville raised an eyebrow at Ron, stopping him mid sip.

"What?" Ron asked, muffled by the tea.

"Never mind." Neville rolled his eyes, leaving Ron alone in the kitchen.

Ron lowered the mug from his mouth, his eyebrows furrowing. "What in Godric's name was that about?"


	18. Chapter 18

Gathered around the table in the tent, was Maia and her so called 'generals'. Draco was sat at her side, Luna and Neville sat across from them and Professor McGonagall stood to the side, holding a cup and saucer. Luna had made the tea while Maia sat and muttered with Draco, mostly over what they were going to do about the tunnels. They'd flooded two nights ago and they'd lost the majority of their progress as they not only had to clear out the water but more of the mud they'd already removed.

"Any luck finding Kingsley?" Maia turned her attention to Ron when he walked in.

"He's been missing for a few weeks now." Ron shook his head, leaning on the table with his elbows as he slumped down next to her.. "We've sent out multiple search parties and he's nowhere to be found. We can only assume he's now a prisoner as well."

Draco pursed his lips, glancing at Maia. "I think we need to march on the Ministry. Our numbers are small still but it's the only way we're going to increase our numbers and put a dent in theirs."

McGonagall tutted. "We don't have the manpower to launch an assault. There would have to be a very small team going in, which makes it even more improbable that anyone will be able to escape."

"Maia cleared Malfoy Manor alone." Neville pointed out, his arms crossed. "I think we could do it if she us."

"I didn't do it alone." Maia shook her head. "Lavender did most of the work and she was transformed at the time. We can't just have a werewolf assault the Ministry. They'll be far better equipped for a werewolf attack and even if she did manage to take out all of the Death Eaters I'm certain there are a lot of innocent people there that aren't in the holding cells."

"We should ask Charlie if he's made it to the holding cells." Luna piped up, a smile still on her face. "He'd know how many people are there and what condition they're in."

Maia shook her head once again. "He's never made it close. It's their most densely guarded floor."

"If we had Harry's invisibility cloak we could manage it." Ron straightened up a little. "So long as you had that it wouldn't matter how long you were in there. I could spend a few days watching patrol shifts, taking numbers, healing some people."

"If we had it." Neville frowned, shifting slightly on the bench.

Maia turned to look at Draco, who had his eyebrow raised at her. He was the only one who knew about her cloak, and a host of other secrets that she would be keeping from everyone for the foreseeable future. She wouldn't be giving her cloak to Ron, no matter how much she trusted him, because death must have given it to her for a reason. Another one of the many mysteries surrounding him that she had yet to work out. The room stood silent for a few minutes while the pair gestured and shrugged vaguely at each other.

"I could do it without the cloak." Maia broke the silence, turning to the others in the tent. "But I can't just disappear for days, there are too many things going on right now. I also need someone to draw Riddle to the Ministry so that I can deal with a problem here. I need him distracted, preferably dueling someone for an extended period of time."

"Severus?" Draco asked, looking up at McGonagall. "Unless you think you could fight him and get out alive Professor."

"Unfortunately I don't think there's anyone alive who could face him." McGonagall frowned, placing her tea on the table. "The last man powerful enough to duel him died, and the last before that was murdered."

Maia's eyebrows knitted together as she frowned, absently tapping her nails on the table. "I could fight him." She said quietly, her voice hushed, but not unsure. "If there was more than one of me I could end this war so much quicker."

"While I admire your dedication, I'm afraid even you would be strong enough to defeat him." McGonagall frowned, giving Maia a resigned look.

"That's where you're very wrong Minerva." A voice announced. Severus walked toward the table, stopping when he reached her side. "She could definitely beat him in a duel. The prophecy however is another matter."

"Prophecies are self fulfilling." Maia argued, almost scowling at Severus. "If we choose to disregard it then it loses its meaning."

"If that were even true, Riddle still believes in it." Severus pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest. "A prophecy cannot be ignored, it cannot be circumvented, it can't be nullified or avoided. It is a fundamental piece of nature and you can change its meaning no easier than you could convince the Goblins in Gringotts to let you peruse the vaults."

"So you're saying we really do need Harry." Ron dropped his head to his hands.

Severus too lowered his head. "Indeed we do."

Luna's almost permanent smile fell from her face and Neville placed a hand on her shoulder. They all looked devastated, resigned to the end of a war they'd been fighting so hard to win. Even Draco and Ron seemed to agree that there was nothing to be done, looking at each other with sad, small expressions. Maia however, looked angry.

"I refuse to believe that." Maia stood, moving until she was stood in front of Severus. She grabbed his arm and pulled up his sleeve, showing him the symbols on his forearm. "Remus was ripped to pieces but he came back."

"At a price Maia." Severus said sternly, ripping his arm from her grip, his expression dark. "A very steep one."

"I'd be willing to pay it." Maia said slowly, letting them drill into everyone in the room. "You can all give up, but if I have to do it alone I will. I'll save everyone locked in the Ministry, I'll save Ginny, I'll rip Tom apart until there's nothing left and I'll trade my soul for Harry's if that's what it takes to end this." Maia took a step back from Severus, her head high and defiant. She turned to face the table, her gaze harsh. "If you're going to give up you may as well turn yourselves in now, save them the trouble of coming to find you."

Maia swept past Severus and McGonagall and left the tent, walking down to the water line. The sun was setting and the ocean was lit pink and orange by the sky. There was barely a whisper of a breeze and the ocean was lapping at the sand in small, slow waves. It was too calm, too serene compared to what Maia was feeling. She felt like she was being ripped at from the inside, the cold part of her desperate for blood. It was like being slammed at by a gale, pushing against her back and bitterly cold, though her cheeks were burning hot. She balled her fists at her sides and screwed her eyes shut, her body shaking.

"I told you you were wrong." Death taunted, appearing before her. Maia refused to look. "Being a fundamental entity of the universe lends you some omnitience."

"Got any benevolence as well?" Maia asked dryly.

Death cackled with a cold rattle. "If I was all loving and kind then I wouldn't do my job."

Maia opened her eyes, looking wearily to her side. "Maybe you should be doing it then instead of coming and talking to me."

Death too was watching the ocean, as the last of the daylight faded away. "This is part of my job, has been since your little boyfriend got involved. You can think of me as a father figure if it helps."

"It doesn't."

"Maybe it should."

Maia sighed, turning fully to face Death. "Last time we spoke you said you regretted choosing me. Still regret it?"

"Depends on the day really." Death too turned, his face once again unseen. "Sometimes you get closer to becoming what you need to be, and other days you shrink back from it, like a scared mouse in its hole."

"That sounds rather cowardly, I'm sure Godric Gryffindor is rolling in his grave." Maia shook her head slightly, turning her head to look back out over the water. "I could do it, couldn't I? And I could do it on my own too."

"You could." Death agreed. "But you don't have to. There are some people that have jobs to do in all of this, and you need to let them. Not because they'll do it better or because they're the only ones."

"I'm not letting Ron take my cloak." Maia cut quickly.

"That is one thing you don't need to do." Death shook his head, wheezing in deeply. "As I said before, you have all of the pieces you require, you just need to decide where to move them. And when."

Maia rolled her eyes. "Care to share some of that omnitience?"

"You'll gain your own when you stop fighting it." Death said, before blowing away into nothing, though there was no wind to carry him.

"Just once." Maia muttered. "I would like an actual answer." Maia stayed at the shoreline, waiting for the sky to turn black. Water slowly lapped at her feet, and then her ankles before she went back to the tent. It was empty and the lamp was burning dimly on its hook. She brushed past it and lay down on her bunk, resting an arm under her head. She gazed up at the tarp above her and let herself slowly drift into a lonely sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

_The walls of Potter Manor had always been a comfortingly warm red, not bright and effervescent, but deep and rich and comfortable. Maia ran her hand along the wall as she walked, marvelling in the texture of the wallpaper, lifting her hand to avoid the odd painting nailed in her way. It was late at night, most likely early morning already, and Maia had woken from a nightmare. They'd become less frequent with the end of the war, but the faces of the dead didn't fade away, they remained steadfast in her memory as she'd promised herself. There were no dead faces in the manor, though Sirius certainly counted for a while._

 _Maia sighed, closing her eyes briefly to drink in the smell of the manor she so missed. She made her way downstairs, toward the library, her footsteps echoing lightly. She took her last step off the stairs and in a blink the home was dark, only blue moonlight streaming its way inside. The moss under her feet felt like a sponge as it sprang underneath her feet. Vines began to grow through the walls as stone and wood exploded outward, showering Maia in debris._

 _She sped to the library, catching herself on the doorframe as she slid to a stop. There was warm firelight glowing from the far end of the room and a man stood before it, only a silhouette from the distance. Maia made her way slowly closer, brandishing her wand. She hadn't noticed before, but her skin was ever so slightly green._

 _The man was unrecognisable to Maia, even with her being mere steps away. As he turned he seemed to grow a face, one she hadn't seen in a year at least. She was staring up at the young, handsome face of Tom Riddle. His immortality became him, he hadn't aged a day after the creation of his horcruxes._

" _Half breed." He inclined his head, a smile tugging at his lips. "I'm sure you were oh so relieved when Death chose you. I suppose I shouldn't have expected anything different after having cheated him out of my soul."_

 _Maia didn't speak, her mouth almost glued shut._

" _Do share how you think you're going to beat me this time around." He asked, walking over to a ruined arm chair. As he sat, a teacup and saucer appeared in his hands. "Last time you simply held me, cried, and let Death do the dirty work. He won't be able to do that here."_

 _Maia took several steps closer to Tom, her wand still drawn._

" _It's interesting isn't it. The protection a string of words can create, especially when they're the right ones." Tom sipped at his tea, a pleasant smile on his face. "Far more interesting is how you exist in your own mind. For so long you still saw poor naive Hermione Granger, and then you finally saw yourself as you were, only to be caught somewhere in between. It's a shame your mind hasn't caught up with your body._

" _I'm not surprised by any means, and neither should you be. You're still clinging so hard to your little nymph existence, clinging so tightly despite it already being long gone. There is no creature left inside of you, you're all human now. Well, mostly." Tom smirked into his cup, placing it on the small table at his side. "You're just a little bit like me now. My darkness grew to replace the space I lost to my horcruxes, but yours isn't even courteous enough to wait for a vacancy. Killing my Death Eaters must have really shattered your soul apart for it to be this bad."_

 _Maia didn't move, beginning to feel her arm shake. She couldn't lower her wand, couldn't let her guard down around one of the most dangerous and bloodthirsty dark wizards of the last century. Not even Grindelwald had a body count as high._

" _Don't mistake me, that darkness was in you before you murdered, but now it has somewhere to go." Tom stood and sauntered toward Maia, standing mere centimetres from her. "Those small slivers of space now belong to that darkness, and it's the only thing keeping your soul from falling apart. Almost poetic when you think about it." Tom cupped Maia's face with his hands. "We're so alike, you and I. We could do so much together. We could rise above what we once were and rule this world. Magic has already made us Gods, we just have to take what is rightfully ours." He leaned his face closer. "Join me, be at my side as we remake the world."_

 _Tom crashed his lips to Maia's, his tongue deft and insistent. Maia didn't pull away from him, didn't run from him, didn't scream or curse or fight back. She instead threw herself into the kiss, pulling all of the pleasure she wanted from it, and she found herself wanting more and more with each second. She fisted her hands in his shirt and ripped it open, pressing herself against his chest. Tom stripped Maia of her clothes, lifting her into his arms. He fell back into the chair, and in moments was devoid of clothing also. The two extracted every ounce of pleasure they could from the other, the house shattering around them as they did._

Maia's eyes snapped open. She was in the tent, laying down on her bunk, still alone. Her body was warm all over and she felt both satisfied and frustrated. She also felt deeply, deeply horrified. "It has to have been him." She muttered, sitting up. "He put it there. He got in your head. He's taunting you."

Maia felt death slip his way into her mind. "That was all you."

She huffed and stood, marching her way out of the tent. "It couldn't have been. It was perverse." She snapped at herself, making her way to the door of shell cottage. There were a few people bustling about the kitchen, though it was early morning and they simply nodded and yawned in greeting. She felt her skin crawl when they looked at her, they didn't know what she'd dreamt about.

She filled the kettle and set it to boil, looking warily at every face that entered her vision. It felt like on some deep level she'd betrayed them all, and she knew for certain that if Lily were there she'd be cackling uncontrollably. She dreaded what Draco would think, how disgusted he would be. He'd never look at her again, let alone touch her after that dream.

Could it even be called a dream, maybe it was some sick twisted nightmare she'd thought up in her stress, where she'd apparently released that stress with the man they were hoping to kill. At least he was the version she'd met in the 70s. She dreaded to think what her dream would have been like with the current state Riddle was in. Why Potter Manor? Why start so innocent and unassuming. It had begun like a memory, reliving the many times she'd walked the halls late, having woken or been unable to drift off. Why did it destroy itself? Had her dream been telling her something? Or had she just been that stressed that her mind really had slipped into madness.

"Glad to see you awake." A voice beamed. Maia looked up into Draco's eyes and immediately felt her stomach turn. She was just glad to distract herself with the now whistling kettle. "Sorry I didn't come to bed last night, Luna and I were doing some reading. I wish we'd had a proper library."

Maia cringed, why did he have to mention a library. "Were you looking for something in particular?"

"Disillusionment spells." Draco leaned his chin on Maia's shoulder. "We want to send a strike team into the Ministry to free everyone but so far we haven't found anything good enough to fool the wards we'd have to get past."

"Of course you wouldn't." Maia rolled her eyes, preparing herself a cup of tea. "Anything in a book will have been checked by the department of spell creation and regulation before it ever went to print. You'd need some very old books to find something half decent. If the library at Potter Manor wasn't ruined I could probably find you a few." Maia cringed at herself again. She needed to stop with this talk of libraries.

Draco, though he missed her first cringe, didn't miss the second. "Is something wrong?"

"Just a dream." Maia shook her head, her voice tight and her words far too quick.

"Are you sure about that?" Draco asked, wrapping his arms around Maia's waist. "Because I can think of a few things we could do in a library that would make you bush like that." He whispered into her ear.

"I am never having sex in a library." She protested a little too loudly as several amused faces turned to watch them. "Don't ask." She sighed.

"Alright." He conceded, raising his hands and taking a step back. "Charlie got back just after you left last night." He reported, moving the conversation away from libraries which Maia was very grateful for. "Most of the snatchers have been removed from their patrols. They're going on raids again, apparently Riddle's pretty mad that most of the student body has slipped under the radar. If there's any time to hit the Ministry, it's soon."

"How long do you think we've got." Maia asked, turning to face Draco.

"A week probably." Draco shrugged. "I doubt they'll leave the Ministry undermanned for long"

Maia sighed, lifting her tea from the countertop. "Three days, we're leaving in three days. Make sure Charlie keeps going, if they suddenly return I want to be the first to know about it. And have Minerva join me in the war room in twenty minutes, as well as anyone who has ever worked in the ministry."

"Aye Aye Captain." Draco smirked with a wink. He pressed a kiss to Maia's cheek before speeding off to deliver her orders.

Maia sighed, watching him leave with a smile. She made her way into the basement, muttering to herself. "You have twenty minutes to get that dream firmly out of your head."


	20. Chapter20

CHAPTER 20

Firmly out of her head the dream did not go, apparently it wanted to stay and taunt her some more so she gave up and did the next best thing, clearing the tunnels of water. The water wasn't too high, only rising to mid calf, but they'd been having difficulties stopping the flow of water. It kept slowly rising, and as of yet they hadn't found where it was coming from. Maia instead created a barrier of sorts between the rest of the tunnels and the war room and proceeded to clear it out. There was something slightly distracting about seeing the water- lapping against nothing.

Once her work was done however, there was nothing to do but wait for everyone to arrive. Though she didn't actually know who would be coming other than Minerva, given she had no recollection of anyone who both worked at the ministry and wasn't in the ministry holding cells.

Minerva arrived post haste, and inquired about the reason she was summoned, though she didn't get any answers as Maia paced back and forth worriedly. When Draco finally returned, he was joined by a man in his early forties, and had a frown tugging at his expression.

"Only one?" Maia asked, frowning. While she was glad that there was at least one person who arrived, she'd been hoping for more.

"The name's Sturgis Podmore, we never really met the last time." He held out his hand, which Maia shook tentatively. "And for the most part I know quite a bit about the layout of the ministry, and the back ways in. I was on guard in the Department of Mysteries for a while, before I was imperiused and thrown into Azkaban."

"Well then Mr Podmore, we have to hope those back ways still work." Maia smiled, moving over to the table in the centre of the room. With a flick of her wand a map spread across its surface, with several layers of ink shifting on the surface, with another wave the ink pulled itself from the parchment and glowed, forming an intricate diagram of rooms and corridors. "This is the most up to date schematic we have of the ministry, it was recently acquired from the hall of records."

"So you are launching an attack on the ministry?" Minerva asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I will be yes, though I intend to limit the number of people present." Maia inclined her head, turning her attention back to the map. "The holding cells are on level eleven, directly below the courtrooms. Getting everyone released will be a challenge in and of itself, but escape is our objective. Bar somehow lowering the anti-appartition wards, we need a safe way to remove as many of the prisoners as possible."

"They're going to be malnourished at the very least, possibly injured." Draco interjected. "I don't think any of them will be in the state to fight."

"There's a back door of sorts in the department of mysteries." Podmore pulled out his own wand, indicating a large chamber on level 9. "It was created to preserve the anonymity of the Unspeakables and reduce the risk of ministry secrets being exposed."

"I can understand why." Maia muttered, vaguely recalling some of the things she'd seen in the department. The room full of brains in jars was particularly creepy, and the death room would always be burned into her memory, literally. "Do you think we could sneak people up two floors?"

"I don't think we need to." Draco took a step forward. "The floors are directly on top of each other, do you think we could bust through them?"

"No." Maia shook her head. "The sheer force of spells we threw around that department, I think at the very least level 9 is impervious to damage like that, but it wouldn't surprise me if all of them were."

"We can't just take the lifts, they could charm all of them to herd everyone to their deaths." Sturgis pointed out, one hand crossed over his chest and the other at his chin.

"Is there a specific room or floor that houses the wards' access?" Minerva asked, staring intently at the map. "The wards surrounding Hogwarts could only be accessed and manipulated from inside the Headmasters' office, perhaps the same is true of the ministry."

"Wouldn't that be the Minister's office then?" Sturgis asked.

"No, Minister for Magic isn't a permanent position." Maia shook her head. "There's also the fact that you should never trust a politician."

"I think we can all guess where it might be." Sturgis spoke suddenly, stepping around to the other side of the table. "The only department with permanent members, life long vows of secrecy and service, and a hell of a lot of protections."

"You think it's in the department of mysteries." Maia smiled, thinking over the idea.

"They have crazier stuff in there." Draco shrugged, meeting Maia's eyes.

"Once the wards are down, what then?" Minerva asked, pursing her lips. "Apparating out a mass of prisoners won't go unnoticed."

Maia nodded, drumming her fingers on the table. "We need to distract him. Tom needs to be distracted for long enough to keep the fight away from level 11."

"You think he'll come?" Sturgeon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He will if we challenge him directly?" Maia asserted. "He thinks the war is as good as won. We need to counter his hold on the wizarding world and bait him out."

There was a silence.

"Use me." Draco said. "He knows I'm not dead and the family wards will still be up around the manor. It's more of an inconvenience but after Maia releasing Lavender and the sudden deaths of his most trusted death eaters, if he believes it's me it'll be an insult to his pride to let me live. He'll come to finish me off himself."

"No offended mr Malfoy but I doubt your skills are good enough to hold off Riddle for long enough." Minerva tilted her head, crossing her arms.

Maia chewed on her lip, rolling her old wand between her fingers. "Mine are."

"Maia..." Draco started.

"You know what I brought back with me." She cut him off. "And you know what I've already done."

"He's more powerful now than he was then." Draco shook his head, his expression stern. "You said yourself only Harry can beat him."

"I know." Maia smiled lightly. "But I'm not trying to beat him. I only need him distracted."

"Do you plan on sharing why?" Minerva asked.

Maia's smile dropped. "Only if you promise not to breathe a word of it to Molly."

...

Maia went out in search of Severus, finding him sat in a room with a cup of tea and a book, lazing on an armchair. She knew he was aware she'd arrived, though he didn't outwardly show it. He casually flipped through the pages and contented himself with ignoring the world existed for a few short hours.

"Are you sure you're up for this Severus?" Maia leaned against the doorframe.

"Of course I can." He scoffed, his book still firmly in his hands.

"He can't catch wind that you're alive." Maia said firmly. "I know you're frustratingly arrogant when it comes to your skill, but be honest with yourself. Can you do it?"

Severus snapped the book shut, placing it gently on the arm of the chair. "The entire time I've known you, you never have nice doubted my ability."

"It's not doubt." Maia frowned. "It's worry."

"At least that's not changed about you." Severus smiled.

"Am I really that different?" Maia sighed, hunching her shoulders. "I expected everyone else to think so, but Draco was pretty hung up about it. Now you."

"I spent many years only looking back on memories." Severus said softly, standing up and placing a hand on Maia's shoulder. "That long begins to cloud perceptions, no matter how trained your mind is. It's true you're less disgustingly optimistic and you've got more of a fire in you. But you are much less of an emotional mess than I remember too. Being home suits you."

"I'm glad someone thinks so." Maia chuckled.

"I worry too you know." Severus smiled slyly. "I worry about you quite a bit. I worry about the people in your world too, but I worry about mine more."

"They're in good hands Severus." Maia placer her hand on his shoulder. "Despite everything that's happened, they're good. Most of them have decent heads on their shoulders."

"You're excluding Sirius from that aren't you." Severus smiled.

"Yes I am." Maia grinned back.

Severus' smile faltered. "To answer your question, no. I'm not sure I can do this without exposing myself. But that doesn't matter because nobody else can."

"I could." Maia smiled malancolicly.

"You could." Severus admitted. "But you can't do everything yourself. Wasn't that the whole point of playing chess with weasley?"

"I suppose." Maia shrugged. "I'm not using anyone as a pawn though. I can't do that."

"I will only admit this once, but Dumbledore was right in some respects." Severus frowned. "Sacrifices need to be made in a war, and sometimes people die."

Maia sighed and shook her head. "The day I accept that is the day Riddle wins."

"That's why they follow you." Severus smiled. "Or at least that's why I do."

...

Luna wandered down into the war room long after their meeting was over. Draco had been down there since, leaning against the table, so deep in his thoughts he'd barely noticed the passage of time. Luna observed him for a while, shaking hands running through his hair, breathing steady and suddenly uneven and erratic. He hadn't been sleeping. Neither had Maia but it was absent in her face. For Draco however, it was devastatingly obvious.

"Sickle for your thoughts?" Luna asked. Draco jumped and turned to face her, his eyes wide.

"How long have you been there?" He asked, smoothing his hair down.

"Long enough." She shrugged "You seem a little tense."

"I've been trying my best to keep people from thinking that." Draco frowned, clasping his hands tightly together.

"We both know she has the elder wand, nothings going to happen to her as long as she does." Draco frowned, clasping his hands tightly together.

"How do you know that?" Draco asked sharply. "She's never had it out when were alone, let alone in front of anyone else."

"It's fairly obvious:" Luna shrugged. "Professor Dumbledore had it, so did Riddle. I'm not sure how she got it from him but I've seen the way she holds her wand. Like it doesn't fit her anymore."

"You haven't told anyone." Draco narrowed his eyes.

"No." Luna shook her head. "Nobody else has noticed either, but they don't really notice anything. I don't know why she's keeping it a secret though, it might put some minds to rest."

"Because it's not the elder wand from our world."

Draco frowned, glancing down at his hands. "It doesn't belong here. It shouldn't even work."

"It works because of her I think." Luna nodded to herself. "I think the only reason any of us is here because of her."

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, keeping his eyes trained on Luna as she sat herself down on the table next to him.

"She brought something back with her." Luna stated, her expression plain. "Not physical items or memories. Something jumped into this world with her. I don't think she knows what it is."

"How do you know if she doesn't?" Draco asked. "What is it about you and your absurdity that makes you so certain?"

"You'll find out one day." Luna smiled. "Not yet though, I wouldn't want to rob you of the lessons you learn finding out."

"You could just be transparent." Draco suggested, huffing. "I swear you talk in more riddles than a bloody seer:"

"Don't get too hung up on things Draco." Luna patted his cheek. "You don't need to. Let everyone else worry and start looking for answers to all of those questions of yours."

"How am I meant to do that?" He snapped.

"That's up to you." Luna's expression turned serious. "Start by trusting that Maia has become so much more than you know and accept that by the time this is over, you won't have her anymore."

"I'm not going to let her die." Draco vowed.

"I know you won't." Luna slid down from the table and patted his cheek. "But if there was something out there that could actually kill her, there's nothing any of us could to do stop it."

She sauntered back up the stairs, leaving Draco just as stuck in his thoughts as he had been when she'd walked in. He was still panicking too, but not about the same things. Now he was worried about just what it was Luna knew that no one else did, and why he couldn't shake the feeling that every crazy thing she said was the most true and honest thing he'd ever heard.


End file.
